Calling this, um, regular meeting of city council
to order on Tuesday.
Wrong date, February 27th, 2024 at 7:00 PM If we
could stand for the Pledge of Allegiance.
Pledge Allegiance. Allegiance
To the flag. United States of America.
America. And to the Republic
for which it stands. Nation, one
Nation under God, Indivisible.
Liberty, with liberty and justice for all.
Roll call Madam Secretary.
Yes. President rogenSi. Here
A assist. Uh, vice
President McGee. Here. Secretary Moore is here.
Um, mayor Pro Tem. And Assistant Secretary Dwyer. Here. Mr.
Bokey? Present. Mr. Noonan? Here. Mr. Lafferty? Here.
You have a quorum. Madam Chair.
Thank you. Next item.
Next item is for adoption
of the consent agenda. So moved.
Support Lafferty.
Any discussion? Hearing none. Ms. Moore? Yes.
Mr. Lafferty? Yes. Uh, Mr. Dwyer? Yes. Mr. Boye? Yes.
Yes. Hold, hold on. We have to go back. Hold on. Okay.
Reverse. Yes. I have to add two items. Sorry to
The consent. Yes.
Um, uh,
consent request of request
to approve the demolition of House
and Garage located at 24,134 Loretta
through the Nuisance Abatement program.
Set a public hearing date
for March 26th, 2024.
And that will be item K four.
K 4K on the consent
and requested the police department
to purchase 5 20 23 Dodge Durango,
a WD pursuit vehicles from Van D**e Dodge in the total
amount of $144,906.
Let's put that on the regular agenda.
Uh, well, I'll do that at the regular agenda. Okay.
So we're just adding.
And then item 4G on the consent, um,
it should say, um, it's the United States Eastern
District Court case, not 37th District Court.
Okay. Makers of the motion, Uh,
Without objection. Yes.
Excellent. Okay. Any discussion?
Okay. Hearing none. Ms. Moore? Yes. Mr. Lafferty? Yes.
Mr. Dwyer? Yes. Mr. Bokey? Yes. Mr. Noonan works
For me. Ms. McGee?
Yes.
Rogan C is a yes. Motion carries. Next item.
Next item is adoption of the agenda.
So moved with discussion
Support Lafferty, Uh, discussion, Madam Secretary?
Yes. Um, we are going to add request
of the police department to purchase 5 20 23 Dodge Durango,
uh, all-wheel drive, pursuit vehicles, et cetera, as item
14 A
And resolution approving DTE, overhead
and underground easement at 3 0 6 3 7 shaner,
and to waive the reconsideration period
of counsel's action on this item.
That will be item 14 B.
And just as a note, um, um, an issue came up
during the, um, construction of the fire station, um,
um, necessitating moving some poles.
That's why we had to put it on last minute.
And also the item, um, purchasing vehicles.
That was because they became available
and you have to grab them when you can get 'em.
So that's why they were late put being put on the agenda
from the administration.
And, um, just a note that when we go to announcements,
um, um, judge Mura has an earlier event this evening.
So if he's not here at that time, I will table 10 A and then
whenever he shows up, we'll add that during the, um,
regular agenda, if that works for everybody.
Any further discussion? Madam
President, just a point of order.
The screens for communications,
the screens are not showing the, the meeting,
but they're showing some, uh, an agenda.
I'm not sure what they're, what's being shown here.
Thank you. Mm-Hmm.
How to turn mine off? Do the makers
of the motion accept those additions?
Yes. Okay. Yes.
Any further discussion? Hearing none. Ms. Moore?
Yes. Mr. Lafferty? Yes. Mr. Dwyer? Yes. Mr. Bokey? Yes.
Mr. Nunan? Yes. Ms. McGee? Yes. Rogan C is a yes?
Yes. Uh, next item. Next
Item is six. A
calendar of pending matters, motion to receive
and file with discussion
Support Lafferty with discussion,
Uh, discussion. Madam Secretary?
Yes. Um, I would like to reiterate, uh,
we have requests on this dating back to 12 12 23.
Um, we have asked for, um, documents
and, um, just to, for the new, um,
council people, um, we do have a court order that may,
Mr. Schroeder can correct me if I make a mistake,
but the court order says that Counsel gets what it asks for.
Anything that's in the possession
of the city council can have, we don't have to foy it.
We get it. So there's an item on here that we ask
for the procedures for the Civil Service Commission.
Um, they met, they weren't, they didn't notice the meeting
and they violated the Open Meetings Act by doing it.
But they did create and updated their rules and procedure.
They were signed off by the commission.
We've asked for that. We've not gotten it.
We've not gotten the meeting notice
or the agenda from that date.
Um, we have, um, uh, requested all agreements
with Q Send Technologies.
We've received none of that.
Um, and, you know, there's other items about MCO
before we have tried to, we've been, I think very, um, um,
worked very well with the administration.
They're learning how to send things over
and not everything is timely.
We have a cutoff on Wednesday,
but we're not, we've not held them to that.
We were trying to work with them,
but this has gotta be a two way street.
We, you know, we haven't gotten one single thing we've asked
for, and that's just not right.
That's not fair. And, um, we're gonna continue
to be cooperative, but I think there should be a little, um,
should be give and take, not just give on our part 10 days.
10 days. Yeah. They have 10.
The city has 10 days to, um, comply
with anything we request.
So that was 1219.
So 10 days from there would've been the 29th of December.
It's now, you know, eight weeks away, or 8, 8, 8.
Almost eight weeks. So, um, I would reiterate, um,
my request for these items,
and I don't know if they're not getting
maybe to the right person.
Maybe they, you know, we do it like we've always done it.
I don't know if maybe they're just not getting it
or they're just ignoring it,
or, I'm not sure what the problem is, but
Through the chair. Um,
One second.
Ms. Moore. Yeah. And I think Mr. Lafferty was, yeah, Mr.
Lafferty and Mr. Thank you.
Oh, thank you. Ms. Moore.
Did, uh, reiterate at least one of the items
that I'm still waiting for.
Uh, that also includes a request for, uh,
the two telecommunications agreements that, uh,
govern the communications towers that are on this property.
The Warren Community Center.
Uh, those agreements are set to expire.
And I had worked, uh, previously
with Laura Sullivan in the City Attorney's office, uh, on,
uh, graduated pricing
and, uh, uh, not giving back over a million dollars
to these telecommunications companies.
Their, the original proposal that we had received was to
discount our rates by a million dollars.
And we had stopped that.
This, uh, previous council had stopped that action.
I worked with the, the city attorney's office to, uh,
work on amendments for those agreements.
And the process has since stalled. So, very interested.
We need to get our arms around that to understand
what are the terms
and conditions, when are those agreements, uh, going
to terminate and what the, what is the future?
We hold the land, we hold the lease agreements,
and we can dictate the terms
and conditions to the telco companies that, uh,
lease the tower space, uh, on that property.
So, very important that we get, uh, get that addressed.
Thank you, Mr. Lafferty. Mr. Noonan?
Yes. Um, Ms. Moore, while I was, um, secretary Moore,
uh, while I was listening, it sounded like you were saying
that the city council can get anything it wants,
and I think that it might be more accurate
to say any information that it requests from the city. Any,
Any, anything, any piece of paper that's in this,
that's in the city council can get.
Right. And we can't, not, not confidential personnel
information, like, you know, of course,
social security numbers or anything protected by any, um,
federal law, or Mr.
Why don't you talk about it, Mr.
Sure. I can. I felt, go ahead.
We went through some lengthy litigation over
obtaining documents for the city council.
City council is the governing body of the city.
You're all city officers here,
and have a right to city documents.
The procedure that we negotiated, um,
and it's in a court order, is that the council
by formal resolution, will ask for records.
And this is how we've been doing it
through the council makes a formal resolution.
This prevents council members from showing up at City Hall
at a counter and saying, I want these records,
and I want that record.
You gotta come to council. You have
to put it in a form of a resolution.
That's a formal request.
It's transmitted to the administration.
And then the administration has 10
days to produce those records.
Uh, secretary Moore, much like myself,
remembers the days and everything was on paper.
It's not just a piece of paper, any document
that the city possesses.
Um, and the city has 10 days to produce that.
But if it's a extensive request, the court order says
that this council's secretary shall work
with the mayor's office to come up
with a production schedule if it was a, you know,
quite a large request.
And they couldn't do it within 10 days.
And of course, we're not supposed to use this to harass
or overburden anybody in the city to ask for records,
but from what I'm hearing, we have simple documents
that are being requested.
Um, so again, you bring it to council, council asks for it,
that prevents individual council
members from making requests.
Now, of course, as an individual, if you wanna make a FOIA
for documents, everybody has that.
Right. So that's the procedure.
Yeah. I think your microphone
Sure. May I ask Jeff, uh,
a follow up on that?
Uh, Mr. Schroeder, would you be willing to send us an email,
maybe through Mary, um, stating all those terms so
that we can keep that for our future reference better?
Thank you so much. Yes. That's all I had to say.
Any additional discussion, Madam Chair? Mm-Hmm.
Um, I, I think, um, Ms, it might be a good idea if we were
to send a copy of all of the, um, orders
and maybe with an explanation so
that the administration knows what we've already litigated
and what, what the rules are.
So
I, you know, we have new members of council. I'll copy
Your mic is off.
I can certainly do that. I would also copy in
the entire council on that.
So the new members have copies of all the orders,
and we know kind of where we stand on everything. And
If we need to have a committee meeting the whole Yeah.
To have all those things explained, we can,
we're gonna have one on Dodge Street,
and we can maybe combine that if we need to.
'cause you know, everybody on here
needs to know what happened there.
And there's a couple other issues that, you know,
we have some other marijuana issues
that we're gonna have to talk about. So,
Oh, Madam Chair. I'm
sorry. Mm-Hmm. I got another one.
And that is, um, if the city council has voted on ordinances
and passed them, and, uh,
but the city clerk has not put them on Muni code.
Are they still Val, valid for commissions to follow
Through the chair?
So these eight ordinances were adopted. They were published.
They are considered valid upon publication.
The issue is the placement in Unicode,
because that's where the public goes to look up ordinances.
So if you go to Unicode, you don't see it there.
But yet, legally they were adopted by counsel.
They were, were survived.
The veto process and everything were
published in a newspaper.
They're just not in Unicode. So you can't find it there.
So there's a, there's a transparency problem.
And, uh, also the clerk's office has not
assigned an ordinance number at the top.
So, um, that's just a, a number
that the clerk's office has assign to each ordinance.
It's 80 dash something.
It's not the number of the ordinance.
When you look up a section number,
each individual ordinance has a ordinance number
that the clerk's office assigned.
So, I mean, they're valid, they're legal, valid,
enforceable ordinances.
You just can't find 'em on Muni code. Thank
You. So when it comes
to contractors, um, they, they should have
to follow, isn't there a contractor ordinance?
There is a responsible contracting ordinance
that is applicable to a number of departments, uh,
that I've met with the purchasing department
and the legal department to try
to make some additional changes to it through an amendment.
But it is, uh, an ordinance that has been published
and duly adopted by this body.
So planning and, um, uh,
purchasing should be following those, right?
Yes. But it does not include everything.
Oh, lowest bidder still is for a number
of purchasing, uh, items.
Madam Chair? Yes.
When we passed that, we knew that there were some things
that were gonna have to be changed,
but we had no cooperation at the time.
The purchasing, nobody was allowed to talk to us, so,
but we wanted it on the book.
So we did the best we could.
Knowing that down the road, we probably would have
to make a few modifications.
So thank you so much. You're welcome.
Hi, Ms. Michaels. I'm sorry, Madam Chair, if I may.
Sure. Mayor Stone is very much inclined
and interested in working out all issues
regarding the ordinances.
They were adopted during the, during Mayor Fouts tenure.
And going forward, she wants to be able to work
with counsel on, you know, merging the interest
and working out ordinances that both the council
and the administration could operate and function.
So we plan on sitting down with Mr. Schroeder
and trying to negotiate what,
what ordinances could be published in mco they will be
and what needs changed.
We'll work with Mr. Schroeder.
So council could be, we will help.
We'll make sure council is amenable.
Thank you. Okay. Thank
You. Madam Chair.
Ms.
Michaels, are you here speaking on behalf of the mayor?
I'm Nancy. You're taking A new role? You're,
If I may, it's a project that I'm working on
that the mayor asked me to work on. Okay.
But you're speaking for the mayor today, just so I know.
'cause you worked against counsel in the previous term.
Any litigation? You took an adversarial
role against this council?
No. That's why I'm asking what your position is tonight,
Madam Secretary.
I'm here just to address Mayor Stone's concerns
regarding the Ordinance and Councils
Office. And so you're speaking
here on behalf
of the Mayor's office. That's, that's all I wanted.
I'm representing the city. I'm representing the city.
Well, actually, according to the charter,
you report to the council.
So anyway, I'm confused, but that's
Item six A.
Any other discussion? Ms. Moore? Yes. Mr.
Lafferty? Yes. Mr. Uh, Dwyer? Yes. Mr.
Bokey? Yes. Mr. Nunan? Yes. Ms. McGee? Yes.
Rogan C is a yes. Motion carries. Next item.
Next item is seven.
A approval of the minutes of the regular meeting
of February 13th, 2024.
So moved. Support Dwyer.
Any discussion? Hearing none. Ms. Moore?
Yes. Mr. Dwyer?
Yes. Uh, Mr. Lafferty? Yes. Mr. Boye? Yes.
Uh, Mr. Nunan? Yes. Ms. McGee? Yes. Rogan C is a yes.
Motion carries. Next item.
Next item is seven B.
Approval of the minutes of the special meeting
of February 20th, 2024.
So moved. Support Dwyer.
Any discussion? Hearing none. Uh, Ms. Moore?
Yes. Uh, Mr. Lafferty? Yes. Mr. Dwyer? Yes. Mr.
Bokey? Yes. Uh, Mr. Newnan?
Yes. Ms. McGee?
Yes. GaN sees a yes. Motion carries. Next item.
Next item is approval is eight.
A approval of the bills of the General Revenue Fund.
So moved with discussion
Support, Lafferty.
Discussion, uh, Ms. Moore? Thank
You. Um,
just to, uh,
so everyone knows there are some large number
of wire transfers.
Uh, there is, uh, one for $15,252 and 55 cents.
That is the repair of a city vehicle.
Um, there's another item
for $17,362 68 cents.
That is also for the repair of a city vehicle.
There's an amount of $15,798 87 cents,
repair of a city vehicle,
$14,527 30 cents.
That is for the case of Germany, uh, paid
payable to Barry Morman, uh, a check
for $25,744.
Also to Barry Morman, uh, in the Jennings case.
Thank you. That's all for me.
Any additional discussion? Bring none. Call to question.
Ms. Moore. Yes. Mr. Lafferty? Yes. Mr. Dwyer? Yes.
Mr. Bokey? Yes. Mr. Nunan? Yes. Ms. McGee? Yes.
Rogan C is a yes. Motion carries. Next item. Next
Item is eight B.
Approval of the bills of the water
and sewer system. So moved.
Support Lafferty. Any discussion? Hearing none?
I'll call the question. Ms. Moore? Yes. Mr. Lafferty? Yes.
Mr. Dwyer? Yes. Mr. Bokey? Yes. Um, Mr. Newan? Yes.
Ms. McGee? Yes. Rogan sees a yes.
Motion carries. Next item eight
C. Uh,
receive and file the general fund revenue report
Support.
Uh, is that a motion, Mr. I'm
Sorry. Yep. Support
Lafferty.
Uh, all in favor? Aye.
Aye. Aye. Any opposed? Motion carries.
Next item eight D.
Motion to receive
and file the General Fund expenditure report
Support. Lafferty.
Is that a motion? ms? Yes, Sir. Motion
To proceed. Uh, all in
favor? Aye. Any opposed?
Motion carries. Next item.
Next item is audience. Members
of the audience who would like
to address City Council this evening may do so under May.
Do so under the audience portion
by filling out an audience form located
at the right side of the stage.
Uh, this is a reminder that per our council rules
and procedures, you must write your name
and address on the form, or give your address at the podium.
Uh, you have three minutes,
and this is to address items specific to agenda items only.
Uh, there is additional audience, uh, at the end.
Uh, first is Mr. Bell,
Jerry Bell.
I, uh, I'm very much disturbed
with, um, you councilwoman Mindy
Moore. You, uh,
Mr. Bell, you have to address an agenda item for this.
This is about the agenda item.
This is about what she just tried to pull with the,
with the, uh, lawyer from the city.
Okay. What agenda item, don't stop me. Let me talk first.
We have, we have Rules.
I don't have to state what agenda
item. Yes, you do. I'm speaking on it.
Yes, you do. Okay. I'm speaking on it. Okay.
Which agenda item are you speaking on? You're
Not gonna waste my time because you want
to control the narrative of this conversation.
I don't wanna control the person. You're not gonna do that.
What I, well, let me speak then.
The audience portion. Let me Speak so you can hear me.
Continue to interrupt me. Mr. Bell, the
Chair of this meeting. Let, you're
on my time. This is my time.
I'm not interrupting you. I have three minutes.
Are you gonna give it to me
or are you gonna try to silence me again?
Mr. Bell. Ms. Rogan. See, can I speak please? You
Can sit down. You can speak at the end of
the meeting with the audience.
No, no. I'm, I'm here on my time.
I'm trying to speak, I haven't even gotten
hardly any words out.
You started by attacking a member that
It don't matter. It does matter.
You guys got elected to do a job.
Excuse Mr. You got elected to do a job,
and if you can't take the heat,
get out the kitchen. I'm trying to speak,
Please, Mr. Sutliff.
As I was saying, Mr. Bell,
As I was saying at The end of the
meeting, your time is up.
You all know what you're doing.
Mr. Bell, your time is up. Yes, sir. Mr.
Sutliff
Cut you off.
Thank you. Next is a, uh, announcements.
Madam Chair. Uh, we, I would make a motion to table 10 A
until later in the agenda.
Uh, support the table. All
in favor? Aye.
Aye. Aye. Any opposed?
The next item is 10 B Eagle Scout Recognition
for Ryan Rudd and Braden Deleki.
Madam Chair, Mr. Lafferty.
Thank you. You, uh, everyone might remember that we had,
uh, several Boy Scouts in the audience, uh,
just a couple of meetings ago.
And those young men were obtaining their Eagle Scout, uh,
credit, and they have both, uh,
completed their credit for obtaining the Eagle Scout role.
And the Warren City Council has passed, uh,
has offered two resolutions to honor them.
Uh, these resolutions will be presented in person on
Saturday at awards, a recogni recognition ceremony at St.
Malachy Church following mass.
So, uh, I will be, uh, representing them
and presenting them to, uh, these two fine young men.
So, uh, I'm not going to read them into the,
into the record, but I do want to, uh,
congratulate Ryan William Rudd
and Braden John Deleki.
And they both represent Boy Scouts of America Troop 1927,
here at the City of Warren, hosted
through Wild Elementary School.
So congratulations to these two young men.
Thank you.
Any additional, uh, announcements? 10 seat
Motion. Motion to
approve the two Eagle Scout resolutions.
Support. All in favor?
Aye. Aye. Aye. Any opposed? Motion carries. Thank you.
10 C Tribute to Kingsley and Lene. Sears.
I don't believe they're here.
I, I, um, Gina Cavalier is here
and her husband, Joe, I don't know if, uh, you wanna,
you want to accept this for them?
No. Okay. Um, they're big supporters of,
uh, uh, the Sears.
Um, I think everybody knows Kingsley Sears
and his wife Lene.
They have just been outstanding,
outstanding residents of this community.
They have, uh, been generous with their time
and their support of so many things in this, um, city.
And they have been honored many times.
But today is a very special honor
because, um, not only have they lived in Warren
for 61 years, but, uh, uh, actually tomorrow,
I believe is their 70th, it's, it's the 28th, right?
Yeah. Yes. This says the 27th, but it's the 28th.
Um, they are celebrating their 70th wedding anniversary.
Wow. So we want to, uh, congratulate them.
And, uh, that's such a tribute to both of them.
They're just wonderful, wonderful people.
And, um, we're lucky to have them here.
So, motion to approve
Support with discussion.
Discussion. I just wanted
to add they live in district two.
All in favor? Aye.
Aye. Any opposed? Motion carries. Next item. Next
Item is 10 D Warren, professional firefighters recognition
for Lieutenant Han Seaver, FEO Medic Greg Ford.
Firefighter Medic Dylan Thrift Firefighter Fighter Medic,
Mike Carney and Firefighter Medic Ryan.
Last check, um, on Christmas morning, if gentlemen,
if you would come forward please.
Um, on Christmas morning, um, this past year, uh,
former councilman Gary Watson and I were at Station one.
And, um, two of the
firefighters had held over,
which means you stay a little while until someone shows.
It was Christmas morning, I think two of the, uh,
people coming on shift were at home
with their children Christmas morning.
Um, but they got a, a run to, uh, on Republic.
And it was a young man who was fleeing a domestic
situation in the home into the street.
And he was shot in the back twice.
And, um, we were sitting there
and heard the, um, transmission.
There's blood, there's blood everywhere.
And, uh, you know, they, they went
and treated this young man in the middle of the street,
and they saved his life.
And they, but the what made me, um, wanna do this,
they do great things all the time,
and they save lives every day.
But there was a newspaper article about the incident,
and it talked about what happened.
And the mention of was EMS transported the victim
to the hospital, and they did so much more than that.
They performed lifesaving measures in the middle
of the street and then transported him to, uh, St.
John Maine, where they took over
and said that these brave men had saved their,
saved this young man's life.
Um, so I just thought it was worthy of, uh,
bringing him the, bringing you all here.
And so that, you know, how we feel about you,
how appreciative we are.
We appreciate what you do every day.
We're all safer and better because of you.
You want me to say something? Yeah. I would like
to, I'd like to thank you.
I mean, you're thanking me, but we'd like to thank you
because it, we're just one link in this chain.
And, uh, we're only as strong as the weakest link, you know,
and our, the public that supports us is a big link.
Our elected officials, the city council, you're a big link.
Our administration that supports us
and the mayor's office, it's all, it's all
a link in his chain that resulted in
the survival of this person.
We, we can't save everybody.
Uh, but we did, we were able to save this person,
and I'm not exaggerating.
Two more minutes. And, uh,
it would've been a different outcome, you know,
so everything our, with our training
and our equipment, everything that is that we have,
you know, uh, makes a difference.
So I really appreciate what you do
and the support that we have is amazing.
So, thank you
All. Ms. Moore, is there a
motion to motion in support
to approve the resolution?
Motion to approve the resolutions
for the Warren Professional Firefighters. Thank
You. Second,
Support Dwyer. All in favor?
Aye. Aye. Motion carries.
Uh, she did.
Thank you.
Next item. It's okay. Uh, public
Hearing. Oh, yeah,
no, I, I have one more announcement. Okay.
Um, I just wanted to note that, um, the, um,
there was a FOIA meeting scheduled
for today that was canceled.
Uh, the FOIA was originally, um, denied,
and, um, it was reversed.
And I think we're gonna have to discuss some
of our policies on FOIA
because we're running into situations
where items are being denied in foia
and they're being overturned by either US or the court.
And, uh, I think we need
to look at them a little bit more closely.
And I did wanna make an announcement.
Somebody was here last week
or two weeks ago, um, talking about a, uh, used car lot,
and they were told that there's a moratorium
on used car lots.
There is not a moratorium.
There was years ago, but there is not
currently a moratorium.
Madam Chair, Mr. Lafferty,
Thank you. Just another
reminder about the sweetheart dance taking
place on Sunday, March 3rd.
You have until tomorrow to register
for the Sweetheart dance.
This is not just, uh, for, uh, dads
and daughters as it has in the past.
This is for dads and daughters, mothers and sons, fathers
and friends, and mothers,
and mothers to, uh, bring their sweethearts.
And there is no age limit.
So there were, I got a couple of questions at the LA
after the last meeting asking what the age limit is,
if you are anywhere between zero
and 100 plus.
And so maybe Kingsley and, and,
and, uh, his wife will, will be there as the, uh,
sole couple on the dance floor celebrating 70 years.
So, uh, please do register
with the Parks and Rec Department.
Uh, 5 8 6 2 6 8 8 4 0 0.
That event is on March 3rd.
It's $20 for Warren Residence
and 25 for non-residents. Thank you.
Thank you. Any further announcements?
Hearing none. Next item.
Next item is 11 A, which is a public hearing
subdivision lot split
and combination request located on the northeast corner
of 10 Mile and Shaner Road.
Section
24 2 5 0 2 8 2 5 0 3 6 2 5 0 5 8
Shaner Road.
Fairmount Properties LLC David Raya,
boss Engineering Christopher Fergus.
Petitioner
Is the petitioner here.
Can you introduce yourself for the record? Good
Evening. My name is
David Raya from Fairmount Properties.
Can you tell us a little bit about the project?
Yes. This is our request to, um,
create from five parcels, three parcels of real estate, um,
at the northeast corner of 10 Mile and Shaner.
It's to facilitate the redevelopment of the corner from its,
uh, current use
as an auto repair building into an oil change.
So we're adding additional land behind to allow cars to, uh,
enter from the rear of the building.
It has been, uh, approved by the Planning Commission.
I believe they do have a permit as well.
Thank you.
Any questions
Then, Gerald, After you close the public hearing,
I'll make a motion to approve.
Okay. Uh, thank you. Thank you.
Anyone from the audience have any
public comment on this item?
Okay. Close the public hearing.
Turn it over to Council for Action. Thank
You, Madam Chair. Motion to
approve with discussion,
Uh, support. Anyone
support Dwyer Support McGee.
Uh, Mr. Lafferty,
Thank you. Through the chair
to Mr. Wirth, please.
Uh, good evening, counsel. Councilman Lafferty.
Good evening, sir. Uh, I'm going to, uh,
place the blame on former Councilman Gary Watts.
It was his turn to go to that meeting I was
otherwise occupied that evening.
And so I only have one question actually.
Are, are, is this lot split in combination?
Are we changing the egress
and ingress either under shaner or 10 mile?
Um, no. Okay.
No, there'll be ingress egress on both roadways from
that, uh, oil change location on the corner.
Okay. So only the traffic pattern within the reconfigured
parcels that were, we're essentially making room
by combining the, the lots?
Uh, yes. If I understand it correctly,
There is, there is some of that, uh, a lot of it ha has
to, part of it, I should say, has to do with, uh, uh,
a vehicle going in from the south side
of the building being served e exiting
the north side of the building.
And that's where they needed, uh, some extra room
to make a turn to go out to, uh, Shana Road.
Okay. That makes perfect sense to me.
I mean, this is, this is pretty standard.
Uh, this is, uh, one of the lesser complicated ones.
It is, this is part of a site plan approval, uh,
requirement of the site plan. So,
Alright. One
step further and closer to, uh, development.
Alright. And I did see this was a conditional approval.
Is there anything notable within the conditions?
Excuse me. What I did see, this was a conditional oh.
Approval, uh, as opposed to a,
a straight, uh, a straight approval.
So what, was there anything notable in the conditions
that, uh, that stood out?
These are, I'm not understanding.
These are, are you talking about the,
what are you talking about the lot split,
or are you talking about the site plan approval? Uh,
Document the, the lot split.
Okay. Had a, had a con had conditions. Alright.
And, and the, they're, it's, they're conditional. Mm-Hmm.
And they have to meet the conditions within a year.
I think that's indicated there.
Okay. Yeah, I just, my question is more towards,
was there anything that was out of the ordinary
that required the conditional approval versus, you know, I,
I know your preference is always to go for a straight
through, you know, approval
and where there are conditions,
there's usually some extraneous circumstances that,
that present themselves where you need the conditions.
It, it, um, no, it's, it,
it's what's required in this particular case, not a problem.
Okay. Uh, With, with those, uh, conditions.
Alright. Fair enough. Alright.
Thank you, sir. Sorry about
that. I have no further questions.
Any other, Any further discussion?
Okay. Hearing none, I will call to question.
Um, Mr. Lafferty?
Yes. Ms. McGee?
Yes. Mr. Dwyer? Yes. Mr. Bokey? Yes.
Mr. Noonan? Yes. Secretary Moore? Yes. Ancy is a yes.
Motion carries. Next item.
Next item is 12.
A proposed resolution
to revoke industrial facilities exemption.
Um, certificate number 20 14 2 69 Niagara LaSalle
Corporation located at 21,750 Hoover Warren, Michigan
Consideration and adoption of a resolution.
So moved. Support Lafferty.
Uh, any discussion? Discussion? Madam Chair?
Uh, council member Lafferty?
Uh, I don't see Mr. Bato.
Is there anybody from the administration that can speak
to, to this?
Uh, perhaps Ms. Michaels?
Good evening. One question for you.
The, this is the first step in the process
for us to begin the process.
What is the general turnaround time
that we'll hear back from the state as to the, uh,
the revocation and any, uh, reconciliation of funds
between this, the entity and the city?
I would estimate about six months to hear from the state.
Last time we did this, we,
we received the certificates within months.
They have a hearing. They give the petitioner,
the developer owner an opportunity to attend
and contest the revocation.
But I doubt that that'll be the case here.
Alright. Thank you very much.
Thank you. Thank you, Madam Chair.
Any further discussion? Hearing none? Uh, let's see.
Mr. Dwyer? Yes. Mr. Lafferty? Yes. Mr. Bokey? Yes.
Uh, Mr. Nunan? Yes. Ms. McGee? Yes. Ms. Moore?
Yes. Mr. Uh, I called Mr. Nunan Rogan. C is a yes.
Motion carries. Next item.
Next item is 12 B.
Request of Detroit Bud Company located at 20 3002 95
Blackstone War in Michigan
for a 60 day extension of license.
So moved with discussion
Support, Lafferty Discussion.
Uh, yes. There, there are some issues with this.
Um, it's why we've put it on for a 60 day extension
and, uh, the building department's gonna deal with it.
I spoke with Mr. Um, um, Murphy today,
so we'll disapprove the extension
and then they're gonna, we'll figure out in the next
couple weeks with their parents.
Any additional discussion? Hearing none?
I'll call the question. Ms. Moore? Yes. Mr. Lafferty? Yes.
Mr. Dwyer? Yes. Mr. Bokey? Yes. Mr. Newan? Yes.
Ms. McGee? Yes. Rogan sees a yes. Motion carries. Next item.
Next item is 12 C.
Request to ratify the one year contract extension
between the Warren Police Officer Association
and the City of Warren.
So moved with discussion
Support Dwyer.
Uh, discussion. Madam Secretary.
Thank you. Um, I'm very happy.
We have this one year extension
and this contract, uh, contains some language that, uh, many
of us have really been pushing for, um, for, uh,
the last several years, including, uh, treasurer Barnwell,
um, and those of us that sit on the, uh, pension board.
Um, and that is, um, duty, disability,
survivorship, healthcare benefit.
I think that's really, really
important that we're doing that.
And to me, that's the most substantial item on this.
Um, president of the union is here. Mr.
Er, I don't know if you wanna, if he wants to say
Anything. Mr. Er,
Mr. Fox is here too.
Mr. Fox, would you like
to speak on behalf of the administration?
Good evening Counsel. Richard Fox, city Controller.
Um, as you know,
we had a closed session to discuss this item.
Uh, I think a week, about
10 days. Can you speak up a little bit, Rick?
Sorry.
Yeah. So we had a closed session
to discuss this about a week ago.
Uh, I think it's a fair contract. It's a one year.
Um, and as council, uh,
person Moore mentioned,
but regards to the, one of the items that was, um, important
for the union, I think important for the city to do is this,
uh, duty disability, survivorship,
healthcare benefit option.
And what that does is if an individual, um,
a police officer gets hurt in a line of duty,
can no longer perform their function,
the city will maintain their healthcare, um,
until they either can get other employment, um,
where they would receive healthcare,
but it takes care of them and their family from the time
of their injury until they recover and,
and pursue another, um, career and, and get healthcare.
So, I, I think it's pretty important
and, um, it was agreed upon
and I think it's a good thing for the city and the union.
Good evening Council. Uh, Mike Sawer,
president of the WPOA.
Uh, I want to thank, uh, mayor Stone, uh, Mr. Fox
and all the administration as well
as you distinguished council, uh, for this agreement.
Uh, it was highly ratified by our membership, especially
with that, uh, uh, agreement with the healthcare.
Uh, the unfortunate incident is that, uh,
we have to, we actually have, uh, somebody
that does already qualify for this as we speak.
Um, we've also included language that we hope we never have
to use and that a survivorship benefit, uh,
should an officer be killed in the line of duty.
Uh, we are taking a step forward as a city collectively, uh,
with the mayor, with your, your support, uh,
protecting the families
of any survivors that we may have in the future.
And hopefully we never have to use it.
Uh, but I thank everybody
for their support and effort on this.
Thank you. Any additional questions? Okay. Thank you.
Uh, hearing none. I'll call the question.
Ms. Moore? Yes. Thank you.
Counsel. Mr. Dwyer? Yes. Mr. Bokey? Yes.
Um, Mr. Lafferty? Yes. Uh, Mr. Newnan? Yes.
Ms. McGee? Yes. Rogan C is a yes. Motion carries. Next item.
Next item is 12 D.
Request to approve a covanta warrant, MPF development
and authorized permits for solid waste processing transfer,
and a general permit for a materials utilization facility
consideration and adoption of a resolution.
So moved with discussion
Support. Lafferty,
Uh, discussion Madam Secretary? Yes.
This, this, um, we are being asked to,
I I'll have these gentlemen come up in a minute, um,
and explain what's the, what's going on.
But I did speak with a wastewater treatment plant, uh,
Donna Doki, who's acting head,
and, um, they will be issuing a license actually.
And so this, we are not dictating the terms of the license
or what those requirements are, be, we're just, um,
open opening bids, really here for us to, uh, allow them
to go forward with, uh, things they need to do.
And, um, these gentlemen, maybe if they wanna come up
and explain what they're doing,
and I sort of dropped the ball.
I have a, um, presentation.
I actually, uh, toured the facility.
Um, and I'll pass this around,
but I'll send everybody, I think, I think Ms.
Camp made a, she scanned it.
Um, if everybody, if anybody wants to take a look at it.
Does anyone have any questions for the folks here?
Yeah. If you wanna explain what they're doing, maybe Sure.
Could you introduce yourselves?
Sure, Judge. Yeah. My name is Chad Dickinson,
Uh, Domenico. Venetia
and John Scott.
Thank you. Uh, Mr.
Boy, you can go first and then I'll have you, um,
talk a little bit about the work you're doing. Go ahead.
Yeah. The letter you submitted to us for review, um,
stated that you could be handling nonhazardous materials
and also nonhazardous, uh, liquids.
Um, you didn't cite what these, uh,
unh hazars uh, items are in the report.
Um, I have a concern for that.
Um, sometimes, as you know,
you mix certain non-hazardous together
and all of a sudden they become hazardous.
My question to you, do you have an environmental report
or any reports concerning the, uh, chemicals
that you're gonna be using there?
And how are, and once you're done with the chemicals,
what are you gonna do with 'em?
Are you gonna discharge 'em into the sewer system
or ship it out through truck?
Well, there's a, there's a whole series of, uh, of
regulations within our process that we use, um, for that.
And we aren't necessarily taking in, uh, chemicals.
Uh, we do utilize chemicals in our treatment process,
uh, but we also have, uh, chemistry experts
that handle making, ensuring that those things never happen.
I didn't see any kind of environmental reports
or, uh, do you have one
for the counselor review of what you're doing?
What, uh, what type of nonhazardous items?
You're, you're accepting it there?
Yeah. Covanta is a, uh, has many of these facilities
through the country, uh,
and they have a standard operating
procedure. If, if that's what you're,
I understand that, but for this council here, for the city
of Warren, before I could vote on something, I'd like
to know what's there.
I don't wanna wait 20 years from now
and find out that it's leaking into the ground, into the,
into the, uh, drain system.
Yeah. So, um, so in regard, in regards to what we do, um,
as, as a company, and I don't know if you're talking
specifically on the wastewater treatment side, um,
but again, we've had conversations
with the PLTW specifically.
So we have facilities all across the country.
We have ample data, um, to back up
what we do and how we do it.
So that's something that we could certainly provide, uh,
at a future date if,
if there's a request for it. Absolutely.
Well, I would like to see it in environmental reports of
what, what products you're bringing in there,
what liquids you're bringing in there,
and how you're gonna be disposing of them. Yeah, go ahead.
Hi, I'm Liz Marsh. I'm with Fish Beck.
I'm an environmental engineer consultant for Covanta.
This process is regulated through the state of Michigan.
There will be a, we will apply for a permit
to do these processes,
but the first step to be complete in our permit application
is approval of the siting for the facility.
So there will be very detailed permit application documents.
It's a lengthy process spelled out in Act 4 51, part one 50
with the state to regulate this.
And there's, um, there's the wastewater treatment discharge,
and that is a permit through the city
that Ms. Moore referenced.
And then there is, um, solid waste processing and material.
It's, um, material utilization facility,
which is making an alternative engineered fuel.
So, but the first step
to let us have a completed application is
to get citing through the city, the local, um, body.
And that's because this regulation was changed
a little over a year ago.
And there's new requirements in the regulation
that the state of Michigan Eagle environment,
great Lakes Energy has not yet.
Um, they haven't yet followed through with that.
So the county is having
to develop this materials management plan,
and it's not developed yet.
So because we're in this interim stage of
that not being developed, we have to ask
for approval from both city and county.
So we came to you first.
So there will be lengthy documentation
to have the state approve
and a permit application from the city
for the wastewater treatment discharge,
which has been submitted already,
that we can provide a copy if you'd like.
Uh, Madam President. Sure.
Uh, question for our attorney, Mr. Schroeder. Sure.
Mr. Schroeder, If we were
or approve this today for the application process,
and once we get those reports, um, are we bounded
to go ahead
and approve the rest of the license since we made the
resolution to go forward?
I don't believe you can approve the license here.
I think this is the site, sort of like a site plan,
a construction permit under the act.
Um, I believe the state laws would, um,
preempt the city from getting involved in approving
or disapproving any particular, um, chemicals, uh,
or substances, hazardous or non-hazardous.
I, I could suggest that, um, with this, uh, motion, um,
if it's approved, that you might ask
for a report in the next couple days, you know,
and if it's not to your satisfaction,
you could reconsider by Friday.
We've been doing that pretty effectively here, uh, recently.
Um, but I don't believe that the city
will issue any license here.
This is a permit for the sighting of this under the act.
Ma man of chair, if I, if I could respond, I spoke to Ms.
Doky and they have been working with Covanta
for over a year, and Eagle is already approved.
Um, but because of this new permitting laws
and things, we, we have to right
There. And I, let
me point out that one of the permits issued
by Eagle involves public comment.
So the public will have a chance at that point.
Yeah. This is just allowing them
to start the process from here.
And then wastewater treatment plant is actually gonna be
involved in their process because part of
what they will create
will be treated at the wastewater treatment plant.
They will be a customer, if you will,
of the wastewater treatment plant.
And I saw some of what they do,
like the non-hazardous materials, like they work for gm,
Pepsi, big companies,
and they'll take like cardboard shipping labels,
and it almost looks like, um, confetti
that you would put in a, at a gift basket.
And then that is taken up north
what goes to Petoskey or something. Correct.
To the cement kil up north. Correct.
Right. And then that's, that's used
for alternative fuel? That's
Correct. Alternative engineer
fuel. Okay.
Yeah. Mr. Bokey and then Mr. Uni
Just, uh, back to, uh, uh, secretary,
uh, Moore.
Um, I appreciate the fact that you went to the facility
and toured it, but I haven't, I don't know if any other,
you know, councilmen or woman have gone there.
Um, my concern is, you know, okay.
In it and later on, on the line, we're stuck with it,
very similar to the incinerator.
When they wanted to burn stuff there,
the state would've granted the license unless Reeb did it re
Stopped it? No, no.
The state was not going to do that license, Mr.
The floor. Okay. Go ahead Mr. Wahe.
Sorry that, that, that's my concern.
I'd rather have a table and get the reports
before making a move on this.
But, uh, motions on that table, uh, right now to pass
Add chair Mr. Nunez.
Chair. Go ahead. Go ahead. Yeah.
So, um, you're taking things like plastic
and other basically combustible burnable materials
and you're making them into sort of a pellet that, that, um,
cement factories can use in their kilns making cement.
Yes. And, uh, the water processing, does
that have anything to do with fracking?
No, it's, uh, mainly, uh,
wastewaters from industrial processes.
Okay. Can you gimme an example of a waste
of an industrial process that,
So, um, a think of a facility,
an industrial facility in Warren, uh, that may be,
that may have, uh, metal, a, a metal cutting operation
that is water cooled.
Right? Okay. Facility like ours would take that water, uh,
clean it, and then discharge it to the POTW in Warren.
So it'd have engineering oils or,
or, uh, manufacturing oils in it that would have
to be separated Yes.
For our wastewater treatment, uh,
plant could treat it properly.
Yes. Okay. That sounds pretty good. Um, and
Of course, we, we would have to meet the limitations
of the Warren POTW to be able
to discharge that water as well.
Okay. Um, does this have anything to do with incineration?
I mean, a KAA cement kil, uh, is sort
of a, an incinerator?
No, no. Isn't it nothing to do with incineration?
Well, if it's used as a fuel, then it's burnt.
Are are you talking about at the site specifically? No,
No. I'm talking about the
end user that, that's kind of like
The end use of the product is as an energy source.
And so that could be a lot of, um, plastics, uh,
possibly recyclable bottles
and things like that that, that no one had any use for.
Uh, typically we're taking things that are in
that category, but can't be recycled.
Okay. At, at like a, a, a material utilization facility.
So we're taking like plastics that can't be recycled
and cardboards that can't be recycled either
because they aren't the right type of plastic
or cardboard or they're dirty.
Okay. Well, I, I suppose that makes sense.
Um, we need cement, so thank you.
I thank you very much.
I, I'm glad that it's not an incinerator right here.
The, the, one of the, uh, cornerstones of covanta, um,
is landfill avoidance.
So, uh, taking things that are traditionally going
to the landfill, like difficult to recycle materials, uh,
that end up in the landfill
and putting them, uh, to a, a second and possibly third use,
Would sludge from our wastewater treatment plant be one
of the things that could be, um, put into your products?
It would depend on the chemistry of that, but
It might be maybe.
Okay. There's certainly an opportunity. Absolutely.
Thanks. I'm done. Thank you, Ms. Moore. And then Mr.
Boying? No, I was just gonna mention that this is the,
the, um, the goal of this is to keep things outta landfill.
And this is, you know, this is fitting in with, you know,
what they're trying to do at the state is, you know, um,
not, we don't want waste and landfills around the, you know,
and this, this accomplishes that goal.
Thank, that's all. Thank you.
Thank you. Mr. Bochy.
Uh, Madam Chair, uh, through, through the chair,
Madam President, uh, gentlemen, tell me, uh,
you touched about plastic
and stuff, uh, with the other consummate, uh,
but in the letter you say nonhazardous materials.
Tell me what you're gonna actually, what are you bringing in
and what kind of liquid are you gonna bring in
that has to be cleaned up?
Well, there's a, there's a specific criteria
that defines something as nonhazardous.
Um, okay. So on on, within that definition, um,
we would be bringing in mainly industrial materials,
plastics, cardboard papers, uh, things of that nature.
And on the wastewater side, we would be bringing in, uh,
organic waters as well as oily waters, uh, under the permit.
Um, so, uh, there's different,
uh, chemistries on each process.
The processes are com completely different in, in,
in the way, uh, that they're operated.
Uh, so wastewater treatment has a series of, uh,
of treatment processes as well as chemicals, uh,
that happen in that process.
And then on the alternative engineered fuel side, uh,
that's a process of, uh, of blending.
Um, and all material that comes into the facility, uh,
before it even comes into the facility is, is profiled in.
And there is, uh, generally analytical, uh,
that comes in on each material that's coming in on a profile
where that generator that's bringing that material in, uh,
has to demonstrate for covanta in their profiling process
that the material is non-hazardous.
And then, uh, on the chemistry side of things, uh, people
that work for a covanta on that side, uh, will then look at
what can be blended and can't be blended.
And those, those, uh, processes are, are,
are put together at a very high level.
So prior, Prior
to any actual physical operation happening, uh,
in the facility, uh, the, the,
the chemistry will be well understood, uh,
both on the wastewater side
and, uh, the alternative engineered fueling side in terms of
what can and can't be done, uh, from a,
from a safety standpoint.
Are those tests done on site or they're
Done on site and offsite?
Um, we, we, uh, we do have, uh,
lab equipment on site to run, uh,
testing for certain things.
Uh, other things will be sent to local labs here.
Um, and, uh, analytical
provided is from third party laboratories by the generators,
and that, and that needs to be, uh, at covata's discretion.
But at minimum, I believe it's every one
or two years that analytical has to be updated.
And then as the material comes into the facility,
it's checked against the profile that Covanta has on file
with that to make sure it's conforming.
So there's a chance that hazardous material
can make it to the plant. Correct.
There's a lot of checks
and balances in between that in terms of qa, qc, uh,
like I said, everything that comes into the facility, uh,
is known, uh, what it is before it shows up,
and then it's checked against that profile, uh, to ensure
that it's a non-hazardous material.
Okay. Thank you, Beck. Chair? Chair.
Any additional questions? Madam Chair?
Mr. Lafferty? Thank you.
Just wanted to, uh, reiterate the, I'm,
I'm satisfied with everything I've heard tonight.
And, and Mr. Bokey, your questions were spot on, uh,
relative to the, the protections.
And that's essentially what you're, what you're
after here, uh, with the
rather rigorous testing requirements, uh, required
by, by Eagle.
Uh, I would also expect
that if the wastewater treatment plant our employees and,
and the department who are required
to issue a permit did not agree
or something was out of place,
that we would also be notified
and that this would be, you know, either mitigated
or rejected at that point.
So we have a, we have a, we're one part of,
we're at the beginning, but there are several other checks
and balances to, to, uh, mitigate any risk.
So I, I'm satisfied with what I've heard.
I would like to see the presentation
and, uh, would also be interested in the tour if, uh,
you could share your contact
information with council office.
I'm sure others would like to join you.
We would love to have any of you out.
Thank you. Thank you, Madam Chair. Thank
You. Uh, I have a question.
Will you all come back
before, uh, and I see Ms.
De Doky came in, so maybe she can answer.
Will you come back before the body for additional approvals,
or is this the only approval you need for the site?
This is the, uh, uh, approval.
We need to take the next steps with the State of Michigan.
Okay. So will you end up coming back here for additional?
I do not believe so. Okay. Okay.
Any additional questions?
Hearing none, I will call the question. Ms. Moore?
Yes. Mr. Lafferty?
Yes. Mr. Dwyer? Yes. Mr. Bokey?
Yes. Uh, Mr. Newan? Yes. Ms. McGee? Yes.
Rogan C is a yes. Motion carries. Next item.
Thank you. Thank
You. Madam Chair.
I see the court staff is here.
If we could, uh, remove that item, uh,
from announcements 10 A, remove
that from the table. So moved.
Support to remove 10 A from the table.
All in favor to remove the item from the table. Aye.
Aye, aye. And we will hear 10 A at this point.
Hello?
Hi, how are you? Good.
Just waiting for the, uh, presentation
to show up on the screen.
There we go. Excellent.
Excuse me, sir. I'm, I'm sorry. One moment too.
Communications, we still cannot see the materials
that are being presented tonight.
I don't know if you can fix that.
It's on the, on the right hand side.
Do We, can you give us one moment?
It's gonna be a short presentation if you
can't see it, that's for sure.
Do we need to recess? I can see
If you, um, You can see it. Mm-Hmm.
I can see it. What makes you so special?
I've got, we've got call to order,
pledge of Allegiance, roll call.
And approval of the agenda on ours. We're kind of stuck.
Well, I guess we can, we got it. Huddle over here.
Oh, yours is mine. Alright, well,
we'll, we'll all huddle over here.
Go ahead and carry on. Uh, hi.
I am, uh, Henry Pitner with BKV Group.
Uh, we've been hired by you to, uh,
put together the courthouse project and, uh, wanted to,
before I start with the presentation, uh, wanted
to acknowledge, uh, two judges that are with us here,
judge Mura and Judge Fonts.
We have our court administrator
and magistrate, uh, Annette, uh, Ari Ross with us.
And, uh, we wanted to acknowledge, uh, the council liaison,
uh, to the courts, uh, Mr.
Bokey also. Um, what we wanna do today is kind
of update you on the status of the project.
Uh, it's been going on for a while,
but we've, uh, we're looking to, uh, to move on
to the next phase of the project, which is schematic design.
Um, so go ahead.
So we'll have, uh, four parts to the agenda.
Um, a little bit of the description of
what we're doing overall.
Uh, we did go through variance process with the zoning board
of appeals, uh,
and with, um, the planning department, uh, overall.
So we'll update you on that.
We'll show you the site concept overall
and then, uh, some exterior images as we move forward.
So, uh, the key points, uh, this,
the existing courthouse is, uh, really an old, old
facility built in the seventies.
And, uh, it's, it's two story with one of the stories kind
of being mostly below grade as, uh,
everything was built up to it.
Um, the, the bottom line of the facility, um,
as you see highlighted in the red thank you up there is it's
really physically, functionally and operationally obsolete.
It's, uh, served the community well for a long, long time,
but, uh, now is the time for replacement.
Uh, as, uh, you've noted, um,
that the key areas there are really, uh, safety
and security, um, accessibility, um,
and really, uh, the spaces are no longer compliant with the,
uh, the state of Michigan, uh, guidelines
and, uh, on security
and all of that with separation of the circulation systems,
for example, uh, being one of the key ones.
Next slide. So, uh, what we're proposing at the end
of the day is, um, a, uh, a three story building
to replace the two story building.
Um, it's modern in its planning.
So we have, um, the improved safety and security overall.
Uh, that is required, uh, by the state, uh,
guidelines on the courts.
So what that means is it's really three
circulation systems that are different.
You have the public side, you have the private side
with the staff, and then in the middle is the
in custody movement.
Uh, that comes from, uh, mainly from the county, uh,
anymore at this point.
Um, so that's the, the big feature of,
of a modern courthouse overall.
Um, uh, you do have an existing security, uh, checkpoint,
uh, coming in.
We will expand that a little bit and make that better
and more secure with its own exit pathway.
Um, we will, uh, have, um,
daylight into the courtrooms right now.
They can't really, uh, experience, uh, the weather.
And, uh, and there's just a mood change as we,
uh, as we go with that.
And the, the idea of, uh, of, of what our committee and,
and, uh, the judges, uh, were looking for, uh,
image-wise was something that's timeless, durable, um,
both on the outside and the inside.
This is a, a once in a, um, a lifetime opportunity,
uh, to build a courthouse.
You know, this one's, you know, well over 50 years old,
so they, they tend to have that kind of a life span.
So, uh, you have to do it right.
You have to, uh, make sure it's durable,
has good energy efficiency, all that kind of stuff.
Uh, timeless. Next slide.
So we had a, a series of 11 different items, uh, in the,
uh, in the zone where the courthouse actually is.
And, uh, the guidelines from, uh, the comprehensive plan
and, uh, and, uh, everything that's going on in
that area really, uh, didn't really anticipate an addition,
uh, let alone expansion of, of the, um, of the campus.
So we needed to go through planning
and, uh, the zoning board of appeals to be sure that we
got variances, uh, to make the building acceptable.
So we did that, uh, over the summer
and, uh, got those all approved.
So all 11 items that you see on your
screen, uh, kind of work.
One, some of the highlights of that really is
it was set up more for what the DDA had been planning,
you know, around the whole campus with housing
and commercial retail, those kinds of things.
And so that obviously isn't a courthouse.
Um, and then with that also, uh, planning had, uh,
recommended that we close Court Street on the, um,
between, um, uh, the two roads on that are,
are on either side of the parking lot, uh,
the parking structure, uh, so that we have safety
and security going through there.
So that all passed, uh, through the zoning board of appeals.
We've been waiting to get to the next phase, so we can put
that together and bring that
before you, um, for that, uh, piece there.
So, uh, a lot of, a lot of stuff going on, uh, uh, with
that particular site.
Um, but they all got approved at least. So. Next slide.
So, an idea of what the, uh, the,
the site itself looks like.
You can see in the middle, uh,
where it says existing courthouse.
That is the outline of the, of your existing courthouse.
And the strategy is to build around it
so we can maintain operations of the existing courthouse.
The entrance is on the left side, uh, existing,
and it also provides access.
That walkway provides access to the police stations.
So maintaining operations
for both facilities while we're constructing a new building
was one of the most important parts of it.
Uh, on the, uh, the east side of, of the, the diagram, uh,
you can see the parking that's strictly for staff, um,
and it has a fence around it.
Uh, the good news is we have that berm that, uh, is
to the street there.
And, uh, having the fence
and everything works, works really well, uh,
to maintain security overall, uh, which is as important
as it can be anymore, um, with all the activities
that have been going on, uh, nationwide.
Um, so the, the entry sequence to the new building
will come from exactly where it is now, uh,
from the parking structure, um, and straight up.
Um, and we'll reconfigure that a little bit.
Uh, it's, it's a pretty steep hill going up,
and, uh, the older you are, the harder it is
to get up there, let alone, uh, for, you know,
standard accessibility.
Uh, so we're gonna flatten that out a bit
and have some ramps that are, are compliant, uh, with that,
uh, so that we have great access to the courthouse
and to the police, uh, facility, uh, at that point.
Um, so it's, um,
and with that then, we'll basically, uh, from that point
all the way to the left to
where you're entering the parking from the, uh, from, uh,
the, uh, the northwest side there, uh,
that'll all be closed off,
but both access points
to the parking structure will remain open, uh,
the whole time, which, which will be really nice.
It provides added security for the area.
There'll be bollards
and other things to keep vehicles from, you know, crashing
through and, and all of that.
Um, we'll have a nice, uh, turnaround, uh, right off
of Port Street as it, as it moves through.
So, uh, should be nice. So that's the public side.
When you see it from the public side,
it's really a two story building, um,
because we're, we're still using the slope
that exists there.
So the backside of it on the east
and the north side are really, um,
really turns into a three story volume with the lower area,
uh, situated for parking, mechanical spaces, uh,
staff entry, those kinds of things, uh, from that.
So that's, uh, that's, uh, kind of, uh, your, your site,
uh, basics there.
Next slide. Exterior wise, uh, very, uh,
traditional, um, very, uh, judicial, uh,
with columns and, uh,
but still a lot of glass along the public
face, uh, of the building.
And the idea there really is to, um, uh,
justice is, um, transparent.
So having the public being seen,
the courtrooms being seen from the outside, uh, is,
is very important in, uh, judicial architecture.
Uh, the back of it is more reserved
and, uh, has more of a solid, uh, a feel to it more, uh,
what you'd expect in, uh, much earlier, uh, uh, building.
So it, it kind of has a nice dynamic, uh, front to back
to it, and, and really states the purpose, uh,
really well from that.
Uh, materials, uh, like limestone, uh,
durable lasts forever, uh, on the outside.
Um, and, uh, you know, that kind of make,
make this thing really, uh, look good and, uh,
and are unbelievably durable for the long term.
Next slide. So we've put together a couple of images,
um, and they, they, um,
they really worked themselves around the building.
So on the left side of, uh, of the, um, the slide,
you see an overall, uh, view from above, kind of, uh,
if you were standing at, at the top
of the parking structure, looking at the new entry
and the walkway coming through it.
And as you get to the walkway, you'll, you, uh,
the bottom picture on the, on the left
is the entrance to the courthouse.
Um, so it, it has all the characteristics that you'd expect,
uh, uh, in a, uh, in a modern, uh, interpretation
of a traditional courthouse, all except for the peaked roof.
But, uh, uh, that's what makes it a little more modern, uh,
in that, uh, on the right side is, uh, again,
looking up high, looking kind of at the right side of the,
uh, of the courthouse, uh, kind of the end of the corridor
and all those things.
And, uh, we have a similar image that shows the, the seal
of the court and those kinds of things.
So there's no mistaking what, uh,
what you're coming for here.
Next slide. And then, uh, we went around the building.
So on the, the left side is, um,
and it, it's kind of working its way around.
So, uh, it's kind of the corner,
the back corner of the building.
Um, so you can see the three story volume now,
uh, for the first time.
And, uh, it allows, uh, vehicle access into that level.
So the judges have, uh, secure parking, uh,
and the staff has the other parking, uh, that's around that.
And, um, and then finally on the right side, uh, you can see
or, uh, existing police facility, um, with, uh,
with the red brick and the, you know, all of that happening.
So it kind of gives you a little bit of a contrast
to the two facilities.
Um, but, uh, uh, they seem to work well together,
uh, regardless of that.
Um, next slide. All done questions.
Mad chair, Ms. Moore, on the View, right
before the last, um, the exterior views.
And I was looking at the windows,
and it's hard for me to tell from this view,
but I just want you to keep in mind
that we have to wash those windows.
So it looked like there were frames, maybe,
and they were, there were pans
Two slides back. Yeah.
Yeah. Can We, uh, get that up again, please?
You know, our, our, the city hall
glass has become a problem.
Yes. Um,
but I just wanna make sure
that whatever's done that it's easy.
'cause I couldn't tell if these had,
Um, yeah. So this, this
is a pretty good view as you look
around the site. So those, those
Look like individual little, like small panes
that might be hard to clean. That's,
Yeah. So
in the back where the judges
and the staff are, those are much smaller windows there.
They're, they're more of a punched opening.
And it, it serves two purposes.
One, it, um, provides additional security, uh, for,
for the staff and the teams, uh, there.
And, uh, and then it, it really signifies that
that's the private side compared to the open, uh,
the glass front of the building.
Yeah. So that'll be more like your city hall, uh, in terms
of the amount of glass that you would see in that area.
But we're, we're at very early stages of it right now.
Keep that in mind, though. Okay.
Yep. Thanks, Adam. President,
Uh, Mr. Noonan, and
then Mr. Lafferty.
Yeah. Um, Sorry about that.
Uh, while I've used, you know, the,
the police station and the courthouse from time to time, um,
I found it particularly difficult to get from the garage
over to the courthouse,
or even more difficult to get up to the police station.
Yes. And so I was wondering, uh, was there any consideration
to perhaps a bridge from like the second floor
straight across to like,
maybe a door in to the court building?
So, very, very interestingly,
operations have changed in the last, uh, five years through,
through the Covid era and all of that.
Um, almost all of the, uh, arraignments from the city
are being done by video.
So they're no longer bringing, uh,
those in custody into the courtroom, uh,
Uhhuh Through that tunnel that exists.
Okay. Um, so all of all,
ev all the city's business is really done, uh, by video.
The only people that are coming into the courtrooms are
those that have, uh, um,
after their arraignment, they've been,
uh, remanded to the county.
So the county then will come in with their vans.
Um, we have a vehicle, Sally port, uh, that's in inside,
comes in directly.
There's a direct path to the courtrooms.
So they come up between the two courtrooms.
And my, my, uh, outlook is undoubtedly very naive on this,
but I kind of, if if all the, uh, courtroom work is done
by video, then I kind of wonder why we need, uh,
a very glamorous court building.
I can't, I can't hear you.
I believe your question. I'm sorry.
Go ahead. She's
Dying. Yeah, if you come
to the microphone,
everyone else will be able to hear you better too, I think.
Yeah. Thank you. Please say your name.
Hi, uh, judge Suzanne Fonts.
Oh, um, I, he's talking about the public. Okay.
Henry was referring to the prisoners he thought you meant
between the police station and the courthouse.
The prisoners are not being shuttled
through the tunnel anymore,
but yes, we, we, we bring in about 500 people
through the doors every day through the public.
And he's talking about the par the parking structure is very
difficult to get from the parking structure.
Yes. The public got it to the building. Okay.
Sorry. Oh, right. Oh, thank you. Yeah. Yeah. He
Was misunderstood.
I didn't make that clear enough.
I understood your question. Thank you so much.
That's why, uh, that's a good interpretation there for me.
So, uh, so yes, the, um, what we're doing right now,
there's a big hill as you're walking from the
parking structure up, right.
And then it kinda levels off,
and then it goes right back down again.
And we're gonna maintain that high point,
but we're gonna go a little bit higher so
that our plaza level to the courthouse is the same level
as the police station.
Okay. So any movement between
by the public up there will work.
We're gonna flatten that thing out a bit
and step it up as we go.
And then there'll be a handicap ramp that'll work its way
up to that level.
So anybody that, uh, needs the ramp, uh,
will have it in a very, um, okay.
Easy method to get up there.
No, no bridge from the public parking?
No, no. Bridge froms, public parking. Yeah,
I, I'm pretty sure that a lot
of my constituents are going, oh, rats. Also,
We, Pardon?
I maybe rats is a bad term. I, I like rats.
Kind of a I didn't mean it in any offensive way. Yeah.
Okay. Okay. You know, the, at the end of the day,
it is just, you know, we're trying
to solve it in a least expensive way to, to do that.
Hmm. And, and, and we're cutting off, uh, the road on,
on court street there too. So when you, why,
Why are you cutting off the road? It was
A recommendation from the planning department,
uh, that we do that.
And it's, it's mainly for safety
and security, um, so that you don't have to cross the street
to get to the sidewalk that gets you to the courthouse.
Oh. Oh, that, okay. I,
I didn't have that in my, in my mind.
So the Yes, the road that you would have
to cross isn't gonna be there anymore.
That's correct. Maybe it could be a little green
parkway. That would be, yes.
So we're, we're planning to have that landscape.
We still wanna have access
for the fire department to get through.
So there'll be bollards that are, be
removable and all of that.
So you still wanna be able to fight fires.
The added benefit is the security
to the police station, too.
Right? There's those stairs that go down to the lower level.
Yeah. Uh, off the street there.
So getting, having all of that more secured is a,
is a really important piece.
Sounds like a great building.
And I'm, I'm sure you've put a lot
of thought and planning into it. That's really great.
A lot more to go, but thank you
Mr. Sby.
And then Mr. Bokey.
Thank, thank you. Before we turn this over
to opposing counsel, uh, I'd like,
and funny that you mentioned Ms. Moore about the windows,
because I was at the meeting, the city,
old city council meeting when the city hall
was being discussed,
and the comment was made, oh,
that building will take care of itself.
And we know that that's not true for 200,000,
for $200,000, we can clean those windows.
So yes, same concerns, concerns with those.
But my question is a repeat
of the same question I asked the last time.
Are we on schedule for a phase development?
And what does the timeline look
to exit the old court building?
Uh, well put shovels in the ground,
exit the old court building
and take, uh, ownership of our, of our new space.
So we're just starting schematic design,
which is about a 12 week process, then, uh, design develop.
So then we have to come back
and you have to approve schematic design according
to our contract, if everything works out well.
Then we go into design development, which is about 16 weeks.
And then followed by the construction documents, which go
to permit and go out for bidding.
We'll have to decide during that timeframe
how you wanna procure the construction,
whether it's a design bid, build, traditional methodology,
or some type of construction manager, whether at risk
or an agent, uh, construction manager.
But we'll get into more of that, uh, as we move, move forth.
And we'll have, um, discussion points for you, uh,
at the end of schematic design on that.
Um, but at the end of the day, then you really,
after the drawings are done
and permits are set, um, we'll, we'll be about a year
and a half total construction, and then demo of all of that.
So we're anticipating everything going right,
everything continuing, uh, smoothly, uh, in, uh,
Christmas of, uh, 2026, uh, we'd be moving in
and, uh, a great day for the city.
Alright. Very good. Thank you for your time, sir. Yes.
And, uh, thank you to, uh,
our judges for being here tonight.
And Ms. Tari Ross, nice to see you as well.
And, uh, with that, uh, uh,
your Honor, I have no further questions.
Thank you, Mr. Bokey.
Um, I'm a little late with this,
but, uh, I'm gonna ask the, uh, Madam President, uh,
anytime we're discussing the security of moving prisoners
or Board of Judge Parks, um,
that we do not ask those questions in a public forum
for security reasons.
Um, how we transport prisoners is very important.
Um, if those questions are needed by counsel,
maybe we could have a closed meeting with the judge's staff
or representative to, you know,
answer those questions for us.
That is a question for Mr. Schroer.
I'm uncertain if that's Yeah. Close.
Well, I, I don't know
that we can go in a closed session under the Open Meetings
Act to discuss this.
I would suggest maybe in groups of one to three to meet
with the staff and discuss it that way.
'cause we can't really go into closed session
to discuss this
unless someone wants to file a lawsuit,
then we can go into closed session, but,
Okay. Understood.
Madam Chair, Madam.
Uh, any other further questions, Mr. Bokey?
No, you'll beg Your chair, Ms. Moore.
And then, um, Ms. McGee.
And I just wanna ask this question on behalf
of my teacher, uh, Tony Baker, that everything is going
to be a DA compliant, correct?
Yes. We, He's very concerned about the ramps,
making sure any ramps are a DA compliant and, um,
All the restrooms, all
The counter spaces we're concerned as well.
Yeah. Every, every aspect of it.
I, I was just telling an Annette out in the hall, we, uh,
uh, one of the courthouses I did in California, they, uh,
they detested all, they had 20 people in wheelchairs
and other various, uh, um, issues that they had, uh,
test the whole courthouse.
What I was, you know, I was just gonna ask
that if we could maybe invite Mr.
Uh, baker when things are moving
along to take a look at things.
Yeah. 'cause he studied things quite a bit
and he's certainly taught me a lot.
So love, love, uh, love to discuss it all. So that
Would be great. Thank you so
Much. Yes. You madam President.
I have another
Ms. McGee. And then, Mr. Thank you.
Um, my biggest concern is technology uhhuh.
Um, what type of UpToDate technology have you done? Charges?
Charging stations? We seem to be a little behind at that.
Uh, for vehicles, uh, charging stations.
Just charging stations, like in general,
like robo phones Yes. And things of that nature.
Yeah. So, uh, so there, there's a lot of technology in,
in a courthouse these days.
Um, uh, from the courtroom
and all of the monitors, all the, um, uh,
the Zoom activities.
Um, so it, it can happen there.
We're gonna set it up, so it could be done in chambers also.
Um, but u usually their schedule is mixes it all together.
So, uh, it'll be in the courtroom.
Um, there'll be waiting areas outside of the courtroom, so
where we can put, um, areas like you would have in a, um,
in an airport, uh mm-Hmm.
So you can charge everything
with the seating that you're there.
So everybody stays up to date.
And then the attorney-client rooms that are in front
of the court, uh, into the public space,
those would all have, uh, areas for, uh, for charging, uh,
with, for attorneys and other people that are in those.
So, uh, and then you, you have a whole staff area that gets,
uh, situated that way with all the clerk positions, uh,
and, uh, all the staff positions.
So they'll, it'll be well, uh, well suited in modern mm-Hmm.
Great. Great. Thank you. Uh, Have, thank
You, Ms. McGee. Mr. Nunan.
Yes. So, so I hope that would include, uh,
public wifi access.
Yeah. So traditionally we do, uh, two different wifi.
We have, uh, this, what would be the city's, uh,
private wifi.
And then you'd have an overlay, uh, that for the public,
they're, they're separate, but they use the same, uh,
the same emitters.
So, uh, you'll have full coverage that way.
And then there'll also be radio coverage, uh,
for emergencies, things like that.
So there'll be a, a full, full system together.
Also, um, I'd like
to ask was using LEED architectural
standards considered in this building?
And I'd like to also say that I, um, part
of my platform running as a council candidate, I, um, said
that I would do my best to get LEED standards
adopted by, for every new municipal building.
Yes. I think it was a big mistake that the, uh,
civic center was not built according to, they said,
li we'll use like LEED standards.
No, it's not the same.
Look, um, public, uh, transportation access would be Yes.
Would've been something. Um, well anyway,
Yeah, our whole, our whole strategy is about
sustainability and, and, uh,
and, um, um,
in energy efficiency, uh, overall.
So we'll take all those things into account.
That was one of the features of our proposal
as we had submitted it.
Uh, um, so we, we will look at every aspect of that
and get the best, uh, that makes sense, uh, to all of you.
And, and, uh, um,
and, uh, it covers every aspect of right down
to the mechanical systems.
And we're, we've been working with, uh, um,
with your facilities team also to be sure
that we're working together in
how the building should be, uh, put
Together. I I think that what
you're edging
around is actually saying you're not actually going to work
for an LED certificate for the building.
Uh, nobody's asked us to be lead certified
This point. Okay. I point, I just, I
just wanna say that I would,
I would like it if you were lead certified,
but I don't know that the city is
going to require that of you.
Yeah. They, they haven't in
our contract uhhuh at this point.
So the, the, um, you can achieve it
without getting the certification,
but it's a, it's a nice thing for the public to understand
that the building is lead certified.
It is. So, uh,
and then it's just a question of what that level is. So
It's, it's nice not to miss any steps, at least a bronze,
if not a silver or platinum or whatever.
Yeah. Silver's kind of the minimum anymore.
And, and gold's readily achievable, um, Uhhuh, um, so,
you know, I'd, I'd be moving towards that gold.
Okay. I'm, I'm glad you're favorable.
Yeah, that's really nice.
Yeah. No, it's, it's good.
I'm glad. Thank you so much. Thank
You. Thank
You. Okay. Any
further questions? Okay.
Uh, I will entertain a motion to receive and file
Motion to receive and file Support.
All in favor, aye. Aye. Motion carries. Next item.
Thank you so much. Thank
You. We'll see you in about
three months. Vote
13. A council
secretary Mindy Mortis was not really me,
but discussion and creation of steering committee
between the zoning board of appeals
and city council with the appointment of two members
of council to serve on the committee.
So moved with discussion
Support Lafferty with discussion. I,
There's actually a resolution that goes with that.
And it didn't make it from my computer to Mary's office,
but it's, the resolution is just saying that we wanted
to have a joint steering committee with ZBA and Okay.
I could read the whole thing, but
That's, It used to be a steering.
No, this is what we discussed previously.
You are actually asking the administration
to create a zoning ordinance, revision steering committee.
And so it's not just a joint venture
between the ZBA and the council.
It would be a citywide zoning ordinance,
revision steering committee
that includes at least two members of council ZBA
and planning, as well as representation from the DA,
the building division and administration.
And so, and it's also requesting in the upcoming budget
proposal that, uh, funds be appropriated for a consultant
with expertise in planning
and zoning to lead a process
to revamp the entire zoning ordinance, um,
and work with the steering committee
and competitively bid it like they did
with the master plan, uh, consultant. So,
And some of this may be in place,
there may be a consultant that's already started some work,
but this will just feed into that.
And I would make a motion to ask Mr.
Lafferty be to be on the committee. I'll
Accept that. So, um,
just, we'll separate the motion.
So one, to approve the ordinance, the, can you,
can you read it since we didn't, I know
Where is The City of Warren master plan was updated on
January 12th, 2021.
And whereas the master plan indicates
that the zoning ordinance is a set of regulations
that provide details of how
and where development can locate to exacting specifications,
and that the zoning ordinance implements the master plan,
and there is a direct relationship
between the two documents.
And whereas the master plan indicates
that the city should consider revisiting the zoning
ordinance to ensure that the two documents are in sync,
so they can be effective planning tools.
And whereas the City Council
and Zoning Board of Appeals held a joint meeting on
February 5th, 2024,
and the city council heard concerns of the ZBA members.
And whereas the ZBA members indicated
that there are numerous out
of date zoning ordinance provisions affecting both
residential and commercial properties,
and that many zoning ordinance
provisions should be revisited.
And whereas the ZBA members also indicated
that there are various parcels throughout the city
that have a zoning classification that is not consistent
with the master plan.
And some of these parcels should be considered for rezoning.
And whereas city Council members have heard these concerns,
and the council wishes to explore a comprehensive rewrite
of the zoning ordinance to meet the current
and future land use needs of the city
as outlined in the master plan.
And whereas the master plan revision process was overseen
by a steering committee that represented various city
officials and departments,
therefore, be it resolved the City Council formally request
that the administration work with the city council office
to establish a zoning ordinance, revision steering committee
that includes at least two members of the city Council ZBA
and Planning Commission, as well
as representation from the Downtown Development Authority,
the Building Division, and the administration.
And be it re further resolved that the city council requests
that in the forthcoming proposed 20 24, 25 fiscal year
budget, that funds be appropriated for a consultant
with expertise in planning
and zoning to lead a process resulting in the preparation
of a new slash revised zoning ordinance for the city,
working closely with the proposed steering committee,
and that the selection of such firm be competitively bid in
the same manner as the master plan consultant.
Thank you. So I have a motion from Moore
and support from Lafferty.
Does anyone have any discussion? Further discussion?
Okay. Hearing none, I will call the question. Ms. Moore?
Yes. Mr. Lafferty? Yes. Mr. Dwyer? Yes. Mr. Bokey? Yes.
Uh, Mr. Noonan? Yes. Ms. McGee? Yes. Uh, Rogan C is a yes.
Motion carries. Uh, I'll entertain a motion for nominations
for, uh, this committee. Nominate,
Uh, Mr. Lafferty,
I'll accept that. Nomination
Support? Anyone?
Support. Support. Uh, support. McGee. McGee. Got it?
Yep. Uh, all in favor? Aye. Aye. Aye. Any opposed?
Uh, Mr. Lafferty. Thank you. Congratulations.
Anyone else interested?
Mr. Bokey was on ZBA.
Mr. Bokey, would you like to be nominated? Sure.
Okay. You were on ZBA that would before, right?
Were you That would make sense. Okay. Support
Ms. Moore. You making that
Motion? Yes. Make motion.
Okay. Mr. Nunan, support. All in favor? Aye. Aye.
Any opposed? Motion carries. Uh, next item.
Next item is 13 B Council Secretary Mindy Moore
and City Treasurer Lori Barnwell exploring a Land Bank
authority for the city of Warren.
So moved with discussion
Support Lafferty.
Uh, discussion Mrs. Moore? Yeah.
Thank you. Um, uh, a Land Bank authorities mission is
to return blighted and vacant properties in a
community to productive use.
They utilize a variety of programs to make home ownership
and land purchases accessible to residents.
A land bank also focuses on compliance
with property maintenance and zoning laws
and increasing occupancy
and home ownership due to a state law.
If the county did not form a Land bank authority
by February 18th, 2024, an individual community
with a population of over 50,000 can
create one on their own.
The city of Warren would qualify as a community
that could form a land bank authority.
The County Board of Commissions opted
to not form such an authority.
Um, I will note that, uh,
commissioner Nar is in the audience,
and I believe she voted in favor of the Land Bank,
as did Commissioner Song.
Am I correct? Um, I did have, um, Lori, Lori has, uh, Ms.
Barnwell has, uh, had conversations with Oakland County.
Um, there, she, uh, has a relationship
with their land bank, uh, person.
And I've discussed it with, um, uh,
several people in our county that are experts.
And, uh, the county, uh, executive was in favor
of the county treasurer.
Um, I don't know where the, the commission got bogged down,
but I think that this could be something
that could really benefit our city.
Um, we all know that we need to increase home ownership,
especially in some of the, uh, uh, the southern part
of the city, our underserved areas of the city.
And, um, so I would, uh, request
that we explore a proposal, pardon me?
Dodge Avenue Land Vacancy. Oh, yeah, yeah.
Like, you know, the mess we had on Dodge
Avenue that was just awful.
Had it gone through a land bank, you know, a lot
of these problems that this, um, young woman is facing,
she wouldn't have had happened.
So I think this could be a great opportunity for us.
And I understand there's money at the state, um, uh,
available that's left, you know, that's available for us to,
uh, get in some way or another.
So my request would be that we explore a proposal
for the Land Bank Authority for the City of Warren, work
with legal counsel to meet with State
of Michigan Land Bank officials,
and report back to city council
with recommendation. Um, great.
Any additional discussion?
And this does, this does require,
at least at the county level, the executive, the treasurer,
and would be the Board of Commissioners.
Um, and we'll have to get the details of
what it requires from a city.
But we, as we were just going,
by the assumption it might be the treasurer, the council,
the administration, the
Land Bank authority to stay anxious to talk
To us. Yeah. They're
anxious to talk to us.
So I think this could be a really,
really great thing for us.
Um, and Ms. Ms Nar was
in my ear for many weeks.
I remember we were at the, uh, uh, where are we?
The state of the county, I think that you were telling me.
It's a great thing. So anyway, that would be my motion
that we have legal counsel speak
with the Land Bank officials
and report back to us with a recommendation.
Any additional discussion? Okay.
If, uh, none, hearing none will call the question.
Ms. Moore? Yes. Mr. Lafferty? Yes. Mr. Dwyer? Yes. Mr.
Bokey? Yes. Uh, Mr. Nunan? Yes. Ms. McGee?
A big yes. Yes.
Uh, Rogan C is also a big yes. Motion carries. Next item.
Next item is 13 C presentation
regarding the Bear Creek spill
and updates from the wastewater treatment
plant on safeguards.
I see. Ms.
Doky, this is Mr.
Um, Lafferty's item, I believe. Motion to approve, I guess.
Support Lafferty with discussion.
Madam Chair.
Good evening, council members Don Eski acting, um,
division Head Wastewater treatment plan.
Good evening, ma'am. Thank you for coming tonight.
Uh, this is in response to the spill
that occurred on Thursday, February 8th.
Uh, my request was, uh, in six parts
or five parts rather,
and a couple of follow up questions
that I'm sure the council will have.
Uh, but we wanted to give the public reassurance about the
quality of our drinking water
and the safeguards that are in place
and proactive measures that wastewater treatments, uh,
the city of Warren and the state of Michigan, the Department
of Eagle, uh, are taking
to protect our natural resources. So thank you.
Sure. Um, I'll try to address, um, each part,
um, individually.
And first of all, I'd like to start with, uh, thanking
for the opportunity to be here, um, to, um,
update you on this event, um, as well
as address any other questions that might, um, follow,
um, the update.
Um, so the event, um, occurred on February 7th, um,
sometime in the morning around 10 30 or so.
Um, our industrial, um, um,
pretreatment program staff had been notified of, uh,
discolored water in a, um, bear Creek.
They immediately responded
and started tracing, um, the source of that, um,
discolored water within, um, around four or so hours.
They were able to narrow the location of the facility, um,
um, to a facility on, um, on Mound Road.
And, uh, as it turns out, um, the facility had been sold.
It was a vacant, um, farmer plating company.
Um, it was sold to another, um, um, entity.
And, uh, there were chemicals
with still remaining chemicals inside of it.
And, um, prior to it sometime, um, there was a cold spell
of weather and it appears that, um, internal plumbing, um,
failed and it resulted in flooding of a facility.
And, um, the discharge, um, um, came out outside
of a building and entered the storm sewer.
Um, so once the, um, discharge
and, um, facilitator source was identified, um,
we had follow out our procedures that pertain to, um,
um, spills.
Um, and this particular one, uh, we had notified, uh,
all relevant agencies such as, um,
Macomb County Public Court, um,
public works office, um, Eagle.
And, um, eventually, um, EPA also was involved, um,
once, um, EPA was involved, um, the involvement of,
of the city, uh, resources, um, uh,
they took over the investigation
'cause it's a higher level, um, entity.
And they, uh, conducted, um, um, review
and, um, um, uh, cleanup
of the, uh, um, resulting spill.
Um, so the spill from the facility ultimately made it
to the county sewer.
Um, the facility isn't, isn't located in the mound road
and all sewers within county roadways,
they're under jurisdiction of Macomb County Public, uh,
works or Macomb County, uh, department of Roads.
Um, the plum
or the discharge, um, um, made it to the open
portion of the Macomb County, um, of,
of the Bear Creek drain.
And, uh, booms were installed
to keep it from moving down, um, downstream.
Um, in addition to, um,
preventing of the, um, um, spill moving downward,
the creek, uh, the sewer, um,
the enclosed portion of approximately 800 linear feet
of sewer was vectored, um, to clean up the material
that made it there and the sediment from it.
Um, and that was majority of the cleanup that was performed.
The, um, the other stuff that made it
to reopen county drain it, um, um, it, it's being monitored
and, um, additional sampling is being made, uh,
is being conducted to evaluate, um, impact of
that spill onto the, um, um, waters of the state.
Um, Eagle had,
uh, posted, um, couple updates on the, um, um, um,
their websites and they, they show, um,
all the details including, um, analysis of the sampling
that had been performed.
And, um, all agencies are constantly saying in a, um,
com constant communication, um, um,
until the facility, um, performs complete cleanup,
um, inside of it.
So, Mrs. Doky, the clean, the site
that caused the contamination is still, as you said,
it's currently being cleaned up.
So that has not been, uh, been completed and
or, but the, the contamination event has been
stopped and it's contained.
Is that a correct statement? Correct.
The discharge had been stopped, terminated, the, um,
the moment it was identified, there was no more discharge.
However, inside a building there are still chemicals.
And those had been, the process
of cleaning it up is ongoing.
There's still chemicals.
Uh, um, IPP division from wastewater treatment plan.
Our staff is overseeing that, uh, their communicating
with the property owner.
Uh, documentation is going back and forth
and, uh, we're, um, uh, making sure that, um,
any activity is being performed, we're aware of it, um,
and, um, we will not stop until it's completed.
Okay. And can you, uh, restate if, if, I know I've
heard you, but I would like to restate,
where was the majority
of the contamination located, proximity wise,
Uh, within the pipe, approximately,
my understanding is about 800, uh, feet of pipe,
uh, of, of some sort.
And, um, that was vectored out and cleaned up
and that was extracted from the pipe.
Right. But sediment,
but specifically, do you have a, you know, a location of, of
where that contamination was located? Was, was it,
Well, once it left the facility, it entered a catch basin
and then it traveled down the storm sewer
until it reached the, um, air Creek drain.
So whatever was left over on the bottom of a pipe that was,
um, cleaned up, vectored out or, um, um,
and, um, removed from the pipe so it doesn't,
so it didn't progress down the, um,
further down the creek.
Okay. So we're from 10 mile
and Mound, the, the source, the, the green sheen, so
to speak, was located behind the,
where Bear Creek empties out beyond Mound Road
on its way to 12 Mile, is that
Correct? Just north of
6 96 mm-Hmm.
That, that's where the drain opens up of, um, upstream,
meaning south of 11 Mile Road that's enclosed.
So it's a, um, underground pipe system.
So the discharge made it to the,
from the inter from the facility to the catch basin
that's located in the parking lot.
And then through the pipe system further, um, down the, um,
um, collection system to the open section
of the Bear Creek drain.
Okay. That's about 11 mile Road right up
by the B BP gas station at 11 and Mound?
Yes. Yes. That's exactly
where I'm, where I'm referring to.
Alright. And then the, the result
and analysis, we do know what kind of chemicals
were involved in this contamination? Uh,
Correct details are shown of, um, um, Eagle
and EPA, they posted, um, entire analysis of their finding
and results that performed.
Um, so they're available on the website
and we actually on a, uh, we made a, a connected, put a link
to it, um, on the city of our own website.
So residents, um, can able, um, they're able to look that up
and, um, um, it's, it's available.
Okay. And at any time, was the drinking water, uh,
available to Warren residents, uh, affected?
We do not suspect. We do not think so.
Um, our water system,
drinking water system is a pressure system.
We get water from, um, um, GLWA, um,
and, uh, there are water wells.
I think one of the questions that you presented,
if there are water wells within City of Warren?
Yes, there are. Um,
but there are very few of 'em, most of those wells, um,
there either, um, construction related
or, um, they're, a lot of 'em are abandoned wells
or a lot of 'em are for, um, um, um,
short term like investigation wells, um, for, or,
or, um, drainage for drainage for irrigation systems.
So, um, any water wells, they're under jurisdiction
of Macomb County within Macomb County.
They're, um, under jurisdiction
of Macomb County Health Department.
And any well water well that is to be drilled, uh, there,
um, permits required
and I believe, um, Macomb County Health Department
and Eagle must, um, um, authorized those.
So there is, um, information on Eagle's websites about, um,
water wells within the entire state of Michigan.
Is that a matter of effect?
Um, but we do not think, uh, there's very few
of those in city of Warren
and, um, probably in the elder area, like in, um,
Chicago Mound area possibly.
Um, but we do not suspect there any of them were affected.
Okay. So in my, my experience
of door knocking, I, I did come across several houses,
very few Okay.
Very few houses that did have a well legacy, well,
on their property still working, they, they use it mostly
to water gardens and flowers and, and things like that,
but not necessarily for drinking.
But there, there's no registration of those wells either
with the city or with the county is there
With the city? I do
not believe so
because we don't have, um, um, jurisdiction over that.
That's usually done through Macomb County
Health Health Department.
And, um, I, I believe in City of Warren at least, that the,
um, data that we obtain is about 25 or so.
20 between 2125.
'cause some of 'em actually showed up in Warren,
but they're not, when you d develop into the, uh,
certainly searching the data, um,
they're incorrectly listed in Warren,
so there's just over 20 of 'em or so.
Okay. And, and perhaps we could look at, uh,
we have the water bills where we have the inserts
and, you know, maybe there's a best practice
that could be shared with anyone that has a water Well,
and, you know, contamination event, no event is there,
you know, a best practice that the, that your department
or the county could share with anyone that has one
of these legacy wells.
Uh, click on this link.
I know, visit this, uh, this site on how to test your, well,
how to obtain a test
and, you know, ensure the, the safety
of your, your drinking water.
Sure. We can't make that happen. Actually.
Macomb County, um, health, um, Macomb County, um, department
of Health has a, a, um, great website with all the resources
for drinking water, for testing,
and for other, um, um, um, activities.
And, um, um, I do sponsored and
provided by Macomb County Health Department.
So we can, um, provide a link on our city of our website
for the city of our residents and public.
Okay. And then the, the, the biologics at the,
the wastewater treatment plant,
would these have been affected?
Had any of these chemicals gone into the sanitary sewer?
Uh, at the plant? Probably not.
Um, um, the, the amount of water that was discharged at
that facility would not, um,
made a significant impact had it made
through the sanitary sewer, through waste.
Um, unfortunately it made it to the storm sewer Mm-Hmm.
Um, and it was, uh, there are two different systems. Um,
Okay. And I know from
previous interaction that the,
the water is con, uh, constantly tested
and you're constantly monitoring the, the quality levels,
uh, for any threats,
Correct. At the, at
the treatment plant, yes. Daily. Mm-Hmm.
Okay. One of the, the items,
and thank you very much for this information.
Uh, I, I do hope that, you know, some of the information
that was presented tonight does set minds at ease
that there was, there was no threat to our drinking water.
That, you know, the measures were taken proactively, uh, or,
or reactively rather, to contain the situation,
uh, as it occurred.
But one of the, the proactive measures that I'd like to see
is to implement, uh, a closure
of an industrial site.
So with any, any site, you know,
and we receive, you know, these site plans for, you know,
multi multitudes of businesses that open, there should be,
if you have to go through a rigorous inspection process,
you have to obtain city certifications, you have
to obtain permits.
In closing a site like this, I have
to wonder if we had an exit strategy
with the building department, with the city where you have
to obtain a permit to close your facility, be inspected,
be signed off by the city, are all of the dangerous
or hazardous chemicals that are present on the property,
have they been contained?
Have they been removed from the site?
Is the site clean and,
and does it meet minimum standards, uh, that ensure the,
the cell, the health and safety of the public?
So that's one of the, the items I'd like
to take away from this is a recommendation
to the administration, uh,
to look at establishing if they don't already have one,
but, uh, preparing
and establishing an exit strategy for all businesses
that deal with hazardous waste chemicals.
So I would like to add that as an amendment
to the receiving file.
Thank you, Ms. Doki. Mad chair.
Uh, you've, I'm, I'm complete. Thank you, Mr. Nunan.
Thank you. So I understand that the, um,
the closed operation, when the new owners bought it,
they turned off the power, the heat to the building, um,
was stopped and a pipe burst from freezing.
And I'm curious as to whether the building has heat now
and whether it has other pipes that might break.
Um, and I don't know whether anyone's checked in on that,
but it seems like one of the minimum standards
for letting an industrial operation
or, uh, um, operation that has hazardous materials in it,
uh, that could be released through broken pipes, um,
clothes, would be that they would have to maintain heat,
have a plan to maintain heat,
and definitely until the building was repurposed
and cleaned out, if it,
and ideally it should be cleaned out,
but, um, I guess we don't,
I don't think we have state legislation that the, um,
so-called Polluter Pay would, um, ensure that
polluting companies would clean up after themselves.
So I don't know what, what, what,
what do we do in a situation like this?
Would you have any, any suggestions?
Well, the first thing that happened
after, um, the facility was identified to prevent any, um,
additional water be discharged once there was
the cause was identified, um, um, the city
of Warren Water Division had shut off the water
to the facility, so they, they have no more water.
There's nothing that can go through the system to add to,
um, um, to the, um, um, situation that had happened until,
um, the facilities brought to compliance
and, um, passes.
All the inspections and corrective actions are taken prior
to the next occupancy.
So, so it was a fresh water pipe that broke,
and then chemicals that were in the building
were flooded out from by that water
Inside the building, internal, internal plumbing. So,
Uh, so, um, we don't,
they can have their heat off now, and it's okay.
There is no water to the facility.
It's shut off out outside the building. Correct. That's
At the stop. I think that's
pretty good news. So, uh, also, I'm, I've,
I know that I've heard of aquifers and watersheds,
and I'm not a scientist.
I, uh, you know, like I don't have a degree in science,
but, um, I believe there's an aquifer
under the watershed,
and it seems like there could, there's a chance
that these chemicals could have spilled into, it could have,
um, like sedated
or whatever into it, you know, gone, gone
through the ground into the aquifer
and anyone, um, for quite a distance around, it's hard
to tell how far pollutants might spread, um,
through an aquifer.
Do you know anything about the hydrology of that?
Is that, is that something
that's been considered in this case?
Um, I am not an expert in this area,
but maybe in a plain language I can explain a little bit.
Um, um, so, uh, um, basically underground there is water
that's, um, like veins of water,
and that's where you have the water.
Well then you, when you drill the, actually you tap
that well, and then you, uh, extract the water.
Um, is there a potential, there's always a potential
for contamination, um, of, um, of the, of the ground water.
Um, however, with the soil conditions in Warren were
prevailing clay soils,
and at the depth that those aquifers are, um,
it's highly unlikely that it probably would happen.
It would have to be extreme conditions that right there.
But, um, in, in this particular case, the discharge went
directly into the, um, storm sewer pipe
and majority of the sediment that stayed in there,
that probably contained major majority of the contaminants.
It was extracted out before it made it out.
The, the lighter water, the, the, the, um, colored water
and certain amount of chemicals, yes, it did,
made it to the open drain.
But any heavy materials
or the sediment that that was, um, stayed in the pipe,
we had, uh, or the, um, um, um, people that responded to it,
it was cleaned out before I made it to the, um,
Oh, okay. On the pipe.
That's very reassuring
because I thought that most
of the contaminants had gone down, had, had, uh, come out
through the waterways.
And I'm glad that sedimentary
contaminants were probably most of it
and that that's been remediated,
That was part of the cleanup that EPA Eagle
and, um, all the other agencies they
participated, that they, um,
Do, do you have any idea how much it costs to do that?
Um, I do not have exact costs,
but it will be probably substantial.
Is, is there, do you think there'll be any accounting for
that for, uh, the public's record?
Um, there's always potential for, um,
cost recovery on each part, each agency that was involved.
And I believe City of Warren also has the, um, um, recovery,
uh, cost recovery, um, ordinance for that.
Um, I think at this point, the, the most important thing is,
is trying to work with the, um, property owner to make sure
that the contaminants
and I think that's remaining in there, is removed
and properly disposed of.
And after that we'll assess, um,
all the costs we're tabbing, uh, uh, keeping tab on our,
calculating all the hours, man hours, all the costs
that had been spent on doing, um, analysis.
And at the end of it, we'll evaluate what other course of,
um, actions needed, um, to, um, um,
either recoup those costs or, um, um, um,
or take further action.
But at this point, the, the most important thing is
to make sure that, um, nothing leaves nothing
or leaves that facility that it's properly cleaned up
and disposed of.
I, I thank you so much for your, uh, very good, um,
conversation on this. Thank you. Thank you,
Madam Chair.
Mr. One follow up
Question? Sure. Council member Voki
Chair, uh, you answered the recovery, uh,
that was one of my questions.
So that's, that's taken care of.
Have any violations been issued or being pursued?
Yes, there has been one. Thank you. Um,
You don't have to elaborate on
it as long as you're doing it.
Yes. Thank you. Thank you very much.
Any additional questions? Madam Chair,
Madam President through the chair.
Ms. Moore, then Mr. Dwyer? Well, Mr. Esky is here.
Um, we did have a conversation earlier this week and,
or it was last week, I guess,
and, um, once the weather is a little bit better, um,
she invited anyone that would like to tour
of the wastewater treatment plan.
If you've not been there, it is really something to see.
Um, and I, I actually haven't been there in since I think
2003, maybe 2004.
So I probably, I'm sure there's some changes since I was
there, so I might take you up on that one this summer too.
Actually, it's on a beautiful piece of property.
It, so anyway, if anybody wants to do that,
when it gets nice, I think that you,
you'll be glad you go sign
Me up. Thank you.
Thank you. Uh, council member r Dwyer,
Just one last question through the chair.
Um, so all the costs incurred in this incident as far
as the cleanup, the testing
and all of that, that is going to fall back on the owner,
the business owner of that property, I assume?
Um, um, I would not be able to, um, um,
'cause there were so many agencies involved
and they have own processes,
but typically, um, whoever, um, caused
or was the, um, the, the source of it,
typically they're responsible for, um, cost related.
So no cost should be coming back to the city of Warren
with this, pardon me.
None of the costs encouraged should come back to the city
of Warren with this as far as the cleanup,
the testing or anything like that
From other agencies.
Is that what you're cost from other agencies? Yeah.
I'm just wondering if the city is gonna be on the hook
for any expenses with this as far
as the clean up the testing.
Um, I wouldn't think so.
And yes, we're, we, right now we're as, as I mentioned
before, the the, uh,
the priority is cleaning up the facility.
We're tabulating keeping on track of all the costs incurred
and then, um, um, um, appropriate action will be taken.
Okay. I'm just curious
'cause I gotta believe at the end of the day it's gonna be a
pretty good tab, so thank you so much.
And, and the owner is, uh, working, um, um,
he's cooperating, the owner is cooperating with, um, um, uh,
the City of Warren and communicating, um, all actions
that are being done and we're inspecting
or stopping at the facility.
Um, and, uh, reaching out to them to make sure that, um,
what they do that we're aware of what's being done in there.
Okay. Thank you. I have nothing more.
Any additional questions
Mr.
Shorter?
Yes. I was having a flashback to 20 years ago
as I was listening to Council Member Dwyer,
we do have a hazardous substance response cost, um, cleanup,
uh, ordinance, uh, to, you know,
to charge the person who's responsible for this.
So, um, I recall this from many years ago, so
it's investigation costs too, as well as the cleanup costs.
Thank you. Uh, thank you very much. Um, Mr.
Lafferty, if you could re um, restate your amendment.
You, you wanted something
additional from the administration?
Yes. So it would be proactive measures to implement, uh,
following the closure of a commercial
or industrial company, similar to the permitting process
for establishing a site, uh, that is permits, certificate
of occupancy, ex, et cetera, uh, to submit
to an exit process that includes those same inspections.
So establishing an exit strategy
for the building department, uh, to enforce, uh, city certs
and compliance with all codes
and regulations to ensure the health, welfare
and safety of, of residents where this business, uh,
where a business may be, uh, engaged with, uh,
hazardous or waste materials.
Got it. Thank you. Uh, makers
of the motion, except that amendment.
Okay. Uh, hearing no further discussion. Ms. Moore? Yes. Mr.
Lafferty? Yes. Mr. Dwyer? Yes. Mr. Bokey? Yes. Uh, Mr.
Nunan? Yes. Ms. McGee? Yes. Rogan Za? Yes.
Thank you very much. Next item. Next
Item, Ms. D, council
Secretary Mindy Moore.
And council member Jonathan Lafferty, discussion
and referral to environmental review sub subcommittee
following the Michigan Food Waste Roadmap
by outfitting city facilities.
Um, for example, a fire station that produced food scraps
with food digesters.
Motion to approve discussion,
Support Lafferty, Uh, discussion Mrs. Moore. Yeah, so
The governor has an initiative to, um, um, stop food waste
and do what we can keep food waste out of landfills.
And one of the things that are,
is being implemented are food digesters.
And if you sort of think in small terms like a, like a comp,
like we used to have trash compactors in our homes.
Um, and they're using digesters for cruise ships
and big facilities that produce food.
I, I can imagine like, um, cafeterias on campuses
and things where we don't really have much
in our city that we own.
And just, you know, the fire stations came to mind
'cause they have three meals a day, seven days a week,
you know, 365 days a year So,
but I was, I think that if we could study it
and see how it can be implemented businesses
around the city, that there may be some sort,
where there might be grants,
there might be something from the state,
but there might be some incentive for businesses
in the city, um, that produce food
and, you know, food waste, that this sort
of technology could be implemented.
I just thought, I don't, I don't know.
It's an, an, it's anaerobic digesters.
I, I think it's Mm-Hmm.
Um, and I don't know that the exact technology,
that's why I thought maybe we would refer it
to the subcommittee and they could look into it.
Do the Charit of Indy. Mm-Hmm.
Um, so this would be a pilot project.
And you're thinking fire stations,
because they like to cook.
Well, they cook all the time. Uhhuh.
Um, I mean, maybe it's not feasible.
Maybe they don't I hear, but,
but just a, a home, you know, they, they,
they want these even in people's homes.
That can be a good thing. So, I mean,
Okay.
I remember that we spoke
as at some point about this a little bit,
and I was thinking it would be something like, um, where the
adjuster would be on the fire department property somewhere
maybe, and people could bring their food.
No, no. This, this would be for their use.
Like, like it might be in a kitchen. Okay.
Just like in a kitchen with a, like a, a com
Used to Be.
So there, there'd probably be like, rules as to what kinds
of food could go into it.
And the people using it would have to know,
I had Mr. Um,
McAdams all worried that I was gonna turn his
stations upside down.
I said, I said it was just an example of, I know that
that's generate success.
Maybe we can look into it and,
and figure out if the, if the fire stations aren't the best,
maybe they are a good place for it,
in which case we could do a pilot project. Yeah.
Or maybe there's something Else. If not,
maybe there's somewhere else where we can do it.
And that could be part of
Why not lead the way if we can
uhhuh or see what other people are doing.
I think it's worth, we've commit.
We've created the subcommittee
and let's give him some more. Okay.
I, I've seen them locations, I guess.
So at the apartment buildings,
I need, it probably wouldn't be my,
my top priority, but, um,
It is, is one of the top priorities of the governor.
Get on board, Hal.
Hey. Yeah. Ms. P. If, if, um, if, if Ms. Moore and Mr.
Lafferty, councilman
and councilwoman want to, uh, get this into our city,
I think that's worth at least examining.
Thank You, Ms. McGee. You
Yeah. I was just
saying, I seen them at, um, different apartments
and sometimes they have 'em at, um, it is a shared compost
between neighbors.
So I've seen it happening.
It's been happening for years. Going on for years.
Thank you. Uh, any further discussion?
Madam Chair? Uh, council member Lafferty.
Oh, what I was going to suggest is, uh, you know,
in thinking of, of large facilities, you know,
we have General Motors.
We have, uh, the, we have the Stillwell
and Joe coach on site, you know, as part of, uh,
of city operations.
But, you know, external, we have, uh,
Macomb Community College.
And, you know, that even brings up, you know,
they have biological studies.
They could pro, they probably have resources
that the subcommittee may be able to tap into as, uh,
expertise, bringing expertise into, uh, help advise.
So that sounds really good. That's a very good lead.
Mr. Lafferty has the floor. Mr. N Sorry, Mr. Laff.
He's got a propensity further. That's
All good. Subcommittee
Meeting.
It's, yes. Thank you. Uh, Mr.
Newan, I just want to thank you so much
for giving me some extra work to do. Yes.
Welcome. So, the motion is to refer this
to the Environmental Review subcommittee to then report back
to council on some options and further discussion
Options. And further discussion.
I like that. Okay.
Uh, any additional discussion here? No. Okay.
Uh, Ms. Moore? Yes. Mr. Lafferty? Yes. Mr. Dwyer? Yes. Mr.
Bokey? Yes. Um, Mr. Nunan? I've
Created a monster. Yes.
Ms. McGee? Yes. Rogan. See is a yes. Motion carries.
Uh, next item.
Great idea, Ms. Moore. Thank you.
Next idea. Next idea item.
Next item is 14 a request.
Is this the police department? One. Mary? Yeah.
Uh, request of the police department
to purchase 5 20 23 Dodge Durango.
All-wheel drive pursuit vehicles from Van D**e Dodge in the
total amount of $144,906 consideration
and adoption of a resolution.
So moved with discussion support. Dwyer, uh, discussion?
Uh, council Member Moore. Thank you.
I don't, I don't think anybody's here from the police
department, but, um, as I mentioned, this was put on
because these vehicles are available
and we have to get 'em when we can.
Um, I'm, I'm sort of interested in pursuit vehicles,
whether they have ballistic panels in the doors.
Um, I, you know, I, I kind of deal on the safety issues
and things with car companies.
And I was actually working a case this week on, uh,
ballistic panels and police intercepted interceptor vehicles
and some of the technology that goes in them.
And I was hoping that we have the ballistic panels in, um,
our pursuit vehicles.
Um, which I think would be a, a good thing. Mm-Hmm.
Um, I don't, and I don't necessarily want the answer, um,
publicly, but it would be nice to know if,
I think it would be a good thing to have.
Um, you know, we don't have the Crown Vics on the side
of the road getting their gas tanks blown up anymore,
so that's a good thing. Right.
Or, uh, Madam Chair after, uh,
Mr. Newnan,
Whatever. Yeah. Um,
or maybe they could be retrofitted, um,
and other possible, uh, recommendations from whatever,
um, appropriate recommending panel for
police equipment that we, we can get.
I, I wouldn't mind, I wouldn't mind, for instance, paying,
having the city possibly pay 5,000 more
to improve those, those cars to the point
where they're safer for the police.
If that's, if that was what was required,
I'd rather not have to pay anymore.
But, um, when we, when they purchased these Dodge Durangos,
those are just basic Dodge Durangos?
No, these are, are specially built police cars. Right.
Can I answer? Yep. Ms. Moore, they usually, like,
if it's a three row vehicle, they'll take out
that third row seat.
'cause they need more room in the back
and they only use the middle one.
But it depends. And, you know, sometimes they, um,
they'll have, you know, cross beams in the back
that make them a little, um, stronger.
Uhhuh, it's kind of X an X, like an X brace back there.
Okay. And I know the outfit, they have to put the bar,
you know, the, um, light bars
and all that kind roll, roll bars things on,
and they have to have the dividers.
And I mean, we buy vehicles,
but they all have to be upfitted in some way.
And then they're, if, if they're, um, I mean,
if they're undercover, then they don't have markings.
But if they are,
I think you're, you're saying that basically it's assumed
that they will be retrofitted to meet the grade
for whatever task they're gonna have to
Yeah. And certainly they have,
you know,
the consoles are taken out Uhhuh, um,
because they have to find a place to mount things.
Right. Usually. And Yeah.
Um, you know, um, of course, the outside, we have our logos
and our city, you know.
Sure. Identifier. Okay.
But I don't know what these are gonna be used for,
but I just, I would just like them
to be as safe as possible. Thanks
For allowing the discussion. I appreciate it.
Any additional discussion,
Madam? President through the
chair? Yeah.
I, I, I would go for it
because I think it is definitely, um, money
that will be well spent to, uh, keep our officers safe.
Okay. Uh,
I will call the question Ms. Moore.
Yes. Uh, council member Dwyer? Yes.
Uh, council member Bokey? Yes. Uh, council member Lafferty?
Yes. Council member Newnan? Yes. Council member McGee? Yes.
Rogan C is, uh, yes. Motion carries. Next item.
Next item is 14 B resolution approving DTE, overhead
and underground easement at 36 37 shaner.
And to waive the reconsideration period
of counsel's action on this item.
So moved with discussion, support
Lafferty, uh, discussion on Madam
Secretary. Yes. I think Mr.
Um, uh, McAdams is in the audience.
He can probably explain what's going on,
but when he gets up here, I want him to tell us something.
Tell us what happened this week. What came in?
Furniture. Oh, furniture. Yes. Mainly
90, 95% of it came in.
What didn't come in was the bed frames, mattresses came in.
Oh, those were bad looking. Some of
40, 45
of the 47, 40, 43 of the 45,
uh, recliners came in.
Um, there was just, there was a few things missing,
but all of the bed frames were missing.
So, but, um,
Yay. The,
The company has promised us they will
be delivered shortly.
Uh, they have been distributed to the stations.
All of the old stuff, um, has been, uh,
had a special pickup for that.
So they are sitting on, on new recliners.
They are somewhat bigger, um,
than the old ones because these are heavy duty. Um,
They're made for fire stations.
Yes. They're made for fire stations,
and they're made for big people. So,
And no pleather.
Uh, and they should hold up.
I got great reviews from other departments
that have used this company.
So we're hopeful. Um,
and now that we're past the Covid
event, we won't be using.
Um, I think it went out to ensure that, uh,
there are no germs being passed from, um, person
to person via the furniture,
because it is a semi hard surface.
Yeah. Well, that's really great news. Yeah.
Um, would you like to explain what this DTA issue is?
Yes. DTE requires us to give them a right of way,
both above ground, a air right of way,
and a underground right of way for the relocation
of the utility poles for both fire stations.
What's before you tonight is the, um, is
for station number five on Shaner.
Uh, the poles have to be moved to
essentially the back of the property.
'cause as they, as they now sit, they cross
the middle of the property, um, in middle
of the Spider station.
So we had to have them relocated, um, to the rear
in order to provide clearance for the station
as they would come into contact with the
secondary lines.
So that's why we need that.
And you, A DTE would not move forward with the relocation
until they have the right of way in their hand
resolution, approving the right of way
for them in their hands.
So with your assistance tomorrow,
we will be hand delivering that to them.
Thank you. Any questions? Madam Chair?
Uh, council member Bokey,
The, uh, the lines are gonna be moved to the back
and they would be where, uh, residential property is.
Oh, they'll remain on our property.
Okay. Yes.
So it won't be on a, on a, uh, common
property lines? It'd be on
Our, it would be on our property, yes.
Okay. Thank you. And the poles have to go in
because on Shaner, um, there was an issue with drainage.
Mm-Hmm. And then we are building a privacy wall,
an eight foot wall to ensure that light from incoming
fire apparatus does not intrude in the, on the,
the neighbors behind us, to the west,
into their property, into their windows.
So we are creating a wall
and a potential flooding situation.
So therefore, we are putting drainage into each backyard
behind, um, behind our wall.
And it would drain into our storm system.
So there would be be no cost to the residents,
but, well, I guess it is a cost to the residents
because they're residents of Warren.
And overall they pay the taxes for us.
But yes, we're doing this, we have to do this
for those homeowners. Thank you.
Thank you. Any additional question or discussion?
Okay. Hearing none, I will call the question. Ms. Moore?
Yes. Mr. Lafferty? Yes. Mr. Dwyer? Yes. Mr. Bokey?
Yes. Mr. Nunan? Yes. Ms. McGee? Yes. Rogan sees a yes.
Motion carries. Thank you very much.
Thank you very much, Madam
President. Request
a, um, five minute, um, recess.
Recess because, uh, we've been in session
for two hours and 17 minutes. Motion.
Motion to go in recess. Thanks. Support
Lafferty.
Uh, all in favor? Aye. Aye. Any opposed?
We recess for five minutes?
You, you're, yeah.
Okay, cool. You're with me.
Well, that thought crossed my mind too.
I'm like, you're so busy with your regular,
right.
I'm getting all these zoom, like zoom interviews or,
and you can just call it back.
Yeah. You don't have time.
We will resume the meeting. Recess is over.
Uh, next item.
Audience, members of the audience who would like
to address City Council this evening may do under, do
so under this audience portion
by filling out the general audience form located
at the right side of the stage.
First is, uh, Pete Sutliff.
Okay. Hello.
Um, I, this is very unusual situation where I have
so many, uh, things
concerning the environment that I could talk about.
Um, that, uh, I, it, I it's a lovely opportunity.
Uh, I wanted to first, uh,
initially speak about the Bear Creek spill.
Um, and, uh, the,
I I, I think that, you know,
can we not take action against the former, uh,
and current owner, uh, of Finny finish?
I understand that there have been some violations have been
issued, um,
but at the, at the very least,
they should be banned from fur doing
further business in the city.
Um, and
I appreciate, uh, Councilman Bo's questions to
Covanta in the, in the same vein, uh, we have
to be very careful about
what hazardous materials are being stored in our
city, even temporarily.
Um, I, I would like to know
how many facilities in Warren do have, uh,
hazardous materials.
Uh, is there a database of these materials that, uh,
could be used by the fire department when
they go to put out a fire?
Uh, I would think that we would have that.
Um, and I don't know if, um,
I don't know if, uh, Councilman Lafferty, uh,
said this in his remarks.
I was writing something down that Mr.
Schroder said, but, um,
I think there should be regular inspections
of any facilities that have hazardous material.
Um, so their storage conditions aren't allowed
to deteriorate to the point where there could be, uh,
spills into our waterways.
Um, I also appreciate, uh, uh,
Councilman Noonan's, uh, questions to the, the courthouse,
um, uh, representative about lead standards.
Um, uh, for, for a moment, I thought
that was not gonna be mentioned at all.
Um, so we should certainly, um,
you know, try to have a, a minimal environmental footprint.
Uh, lastly, I wanna say that the, uh, the ZBA, uh,
steering committee, the zoning board, uh, uh, uh,
steering committee, uh,
hopefully they will take into account any new ordinances
adopted by this council.
Uh, on recommendations
of the Environmental Review subcommittee having to do with,
you know, the Tree and vegetation ordinance.
Uh, some of the most important parts of, uh,
Royal Oaks plant ordinances are zoning ordinances.
Uh, so any of you who are, uh, involved in that process, uh,
that's section seven 70 dash 90.
You're outta time, Mr. Sutliff. Thank you. Thank you.
Next is Mr. Jebel.
Good evening. As I was saying
before, I was rudely interrupted by you.
Councilwoman Rogan, uh, was directing my conversation to
Councilwoman Mindy Moore, who we've known
for the past four years
and a few months, have constantly
verbally attacked our city attorney,
Ethan Vincent, who we're not seeing,
sitting over there in the back.
And I was kind of wondering, um,
Councilwoman Moore, I see
that you don't pay attention
when I'm talking, but it's okay.
You hear me? I you wanna tell us that, um,
you kind of bullied the mayor into firing, Mr. Vincent.
You want to tell us what that's all about?
Continuous bullying.
Now you're even bullying our mayor,
or trying to, you're not the mayor,
you're the council secretary.
You are a very, very,
very disparaging woman towards African Americans.
And it has been shown.
I can remember a month ago,
maybe two months ago, when
Councilwoman McGee chaired our only meeting,
the same meeting that you claim Ms.
Rogan c, that you were out of town,
which I think you were backing enough time to chair
that meeting, but you went AWOL on this.
But you councilwoman Mindy Moore,
you disrespected Councilwoman McGee.
That was very disrespectful with you trying
or telling her how to do the job
that she should have already known how to do.
As a matter of fact, you guys
should have took a day or maybe two days
before the council meeting
and went over what you needed to go over.
So therefore, you wouldn't make her look bad.
You made her look bad. And you knew it.
You were a lying,
conniving Woman.
I don't even know how you even made it back on the council.
Maybe you cheated on that, or you paid your way back in.
I don't like you, I don't like your politics.
You're very disparaging.
Now, you all ran on diversity, equity,
and inclusion and what, what's that transparency?
You can't even look at me.
'cause you know you wrong and you know,
I'm not buying your bs You all ran on diversity,
equity, and inclusion.
And guess what you did?
You constantly went
after our African-American City Attorney. Mr.
Rebello. Three minutes are up.
I I, I didn't even hear you say one minute yet.
I don't have to give a warning, Mr. Yeah,
Yeah, yeah. Okay.
Turn coat. Like I
Said, your time is up. Mr. Bell,
please have a
Seat. Mindy Moore
are a racist,
Mr. Bell, And I'm making a complaint against
you. Okay? Can you
Please, please ask?
Have a good night. Please. Have a good night.
Thank you. Uh, David Rousey.
Mr. Bell, you can leave the meeting.
No, I Can't. You you're welcome to leave now.
And we don't, but I
Welcome. But I'm here. I'm
Not speaking. I'm asking that
you depart the meeting. You don't have
To ask me because I'm not gonna
Go, you're not going to follow directions.
Mr. Bell, you're not gonna be welcome
in this meeting. I'm not
Disrespecting You.
You have Okay. If you do it again,
you will not be welcome in the meetings.
Oh, you would like that, wouldn't
You? Please have Mr. Bell
leave. Thank you. You would
Like that? Because
You know I'm not gonna fight.
Yes. Go ahead, Mr. Rousey. Apologies.
Good evening, counsel.
My name is David Rousey,
and I'm coming here today to speak to you about
some situations that have occurred with me
and my grandson at the swimming pool here at the
Recreation Center.
Uh, seems that the, the
lifeguard's supervisors had violated myself
and my grandson.
And I made a point to speak with the
director of the pro, uh, parks and Recreation, uh, Mr.
Tico Kata.
Tta Koto. Mm-Hmm. Yes.
And I have not received a response to my complaint.
And I feel like originally, let me back up. Let me back up.
Originally, he reached out to me to find out
what was going on because his, um, uh,
support had told him that there was an issue.
And he assured me in this conversation,
our original conversation, that my grandson's
swimming rights and whatever would not be violated.
And he would take care of all that. I explained to him.
That wasn't the issues that I was having with the, the, um,
the, the, the recreation center.
I had a, a issue with the treatment that I had received
from the lifeguard supervisors.
I don't know. Is it possible I can hand you a copy
of the Thank you
Get to Ms. Camp?
I provided that letter to, um, Mr.
Ko, and after I re um, um,
provided that I haven't heard anything, I was expecting him
to at least contact me with, um, what his findings.
He said he was going to look into what was going on.
And I haven't heard anything that would say to me
that this is going anywhere further.
I'm here to you. I'm here to, I'm here with you today
because I'm hoping that maybe you can help me
find some resolution so that I can feel comfortable
with bringing my grandson here, um,
to the swimming pool without any interference with, um, any,
um, um, bad, um, blood
between myself and the swimming staff,
or whatever's going on the outline of the detail,
um, of what took place is there in the letter.
And I'm just hoping that you can help shed some light on
how I should go forward with this.
So, um, I apologize in that I have not read this letter,
but whatever, um, mistreatment occurred, uh,
if you could provide your information to Ms.
Camp. Uh, your phone number. I have your address. Yep. Ms.
Camp on the end. Is it at the top? Oh, it's here.
So we can, uh, uh, discuss this and, uh, reach out to you
and follow up and make sure that your complaints are heard.
Well, I really appreciate that.
Yes. We'll send it to the mayor
and the Human Resources Department.
Thank you very much. You're welcome.
Thank you for your patience in sitting through this meeting.
Uh, next is Curtis Osh.
Good evening Counsel. Curtis Osh, uh, resident
and pastor here in the city.
I, um, want to address a couple different things.
First of all, last meeting, uh, Ms. Moore, um,
had some issues and concerns about the homeless population.
Mayor Stone said
that the homeless population can use the libraries.
Apparently that's a problem.
The warming center that's on Chap, um,
they don't have the funding.
They got no funding from the city,
no funding from the county this year.
They previously got funding from the county,
and they're gonna close on the 28th of February
because there's no funding to keep it going.
This season, starting in November,
they've served 700 people.
It's interesting. That's 700 human beings.
We can't just be dismissive of these 700 people.
Also, the issue
that Ms. Moore brought up last time about the porta-potties,
apparently you don't know much about what's going on in
the southern part of our city.
Most of the porta-potties that are in the southern part
of the city, they're put there by consumers energy to do,
'cause they're doing work in
and around the area replacing gas lines.
And, uh, those aren't for the homeless. But you know what?
Homeless people sleep in those
because they have no other place to go.
So those aren't provided for the homeless people.
They're for the consumer workers
that have been doing construction throughout South Warren
and putting in new gas lines.
Also, you know, you told Ms.
Michaels here earlier, Ms. Moore, that as a city attorney,
she reports to the city council.
That's what the city charter says.
You know, there's too many cooks in the kitchen.
And this gets back to Mr. Schroeder.
Why isn't our city attorney up there in
or a city attorney from the city up there
instead of Mr. Schroeder?
I have no idea. You guys talk about sunshine
and transparency and everything else.
What is the deal with Mr. Schroeder?
I've asked several of you. I haven't got a straight answer.
I would like a straight answer.
We don't even know who's on first, who's on second.
And then, you know, the whole issue is, I mean,
we're gonna streamline our legal thing.
Why don't we work with our own city attorney
as the charter tells us to, you know, to the,
to our city attorneys, this guy
and your program is disingenuous at best.
We need to do something about it. And Mr.
Lafferty, last week, you questioned my question,
my point of hypocrisy.
You don't see it because you're in the middle of it.
You're in the midst of it. You got blinders on.
And what are we doing with the ARPA money?
If we don't spend
and we don't commit the ARPA money, we're gonna lose it.
You got this year. You, Mr.
Lafferty said we were gonna meet
for coffee and discuss that.
'cause you said I was all wrong.
Your city budget says you cut the money.
And if we don't allocate the money soon from
arpa, it's gone.
Our city needs every dollar it can.
We shouldn't be wasting money on an
outside attorney when we have very competent city attorneys.
Thank you. Thank you.
Next is Commissioner Michelle Nard.
Good evening counsel and, uh, residents.
I just wanna read something really quick.
Um, in a world increasingly divided by suspicion, fear,
and the seductive allure of ID isolationism,
I stand before you today to champion the, the often
overlooked yet vital force diplomacy.
Diplomacy is not weakness. It's not surrender.
It is the art of navigating complex relationships,
of building bridges where walls threaten to rise.
It is the whisper that can calm a storm,
the outstretched hand that can avert conflict.
The understanding that can bridge divides once
thought, unbreachable.
Some may scoff at its seemingly slow pace.
Its nuanced language. Its emphasis on dialogue over force.
But let me tell you, in a world
where weapons hold immersed power, the power of words,
of understanding, of building trust is a
force to be reckoned with.
Think of the countless wars averted The crisis diffused
the lives saved through the patient.
Persistent work of diplomats, think
of the trade deals struck.
The environmental agreements reached the pandemics tackled
through international collaboration, all facilitated
by the tireless efforts of those who believed in the power
of talking, not fighting.
Diplomacy is not about blind appeasement.
It is about knowing your adversary,
understanding their needs,
and finding common ground where it exists.
It is about recognizing that even in the face
of stark differences, a shared humanity binds us all.
Yes, there will be times when diplomacy seems to fail,
when words feel inadequate in the face of aggression.
But even then, we must not abandon its pursuit.
For even the most hardened heart can be softened
by genuine understanding.
Even the most entrenched position can be shifted
through persistent respectful dialogue.
In a world teetering on the precipice,
diplomacy is not a luxury, but a necessity.
It is the weapon we weld against ignorance,
the sheeo we raise against hatred.
The bridge we build towards a more peaceful,
prosperous future for all.
Let us therefore champion the art of diplomacy.
Let us support our diplomats, encourage their efforts,
and celebrate their successes.
Let us remember that in the grand orchestra
of human interaction, diplomacy plays a crucial role
of setting the tone, harmonizing differences,
and composing a symphony of peace and understanding.
And I just wanted to say you're
Outta time, Ms. Art. Sorry.
Oh, that was three minutes. Okay. Thank you. Thank you.
Uh, Joel Vander Linden,
Joel Allen, longtime born resident.
It was interesting what the people have to say.
Ms. Moore, you were chewed a new one
for doing nothing wrong.
You assisted a fellow human being
and made her look good on her first time.
She's new to the console, new to the, the system,
and she did a fine job and you helped her out.
And I thank you Mr. Schroeder.
Pastor not understand that you are the con,
the attorney for the council.
The city attorney doesn't answer to this council anymore,
obviously, ever since Fouts
and this crooked bunch was here,
maybe Pastor Convict can stop coming here, yelling
and screaming into the microphone, pull the hair out
of his ears, and finally listen
to what's going on around him.
To talk about the new courthouse.
There was a few things that was missing.
Same thing that was missing when they came
about, uh, city hall.
There's no basement.
And you say, what, what do we need a basement for?
You need the basement for storage.
You need the basement for a tornado shelter.
You need a basement with the pathway
to the police department if there's an emergency
at the, at the, uh, a shooter
or something for an extra way
to clear the people from the rooms and get 'em out of there.
Now, I understand security's a a very important
thing, but so is safety.
Now I'm not sure where the new
courthouse is gonna go,
but the idea came out about bringing a, a bridge
from the police station
to the parking second floor parking structure.
So it's easier for the a DA,
the people in wheelchairs, people like me with a walker
to get to the police station
or to get to the, uh, uh, the courthouse.
Those of you that don't go to the courthouse that often
or go in, uh, to the parking structure, the fire
elevator closest to the courthouse, every winter breaks down
every, every winter.
It freezes every winter.
Every one is forced to use the stairwell next to it.
So what is someone in there that's like me, in a walker
or in a scooter, supposed to get down all those flight
of stairs without a running elevator.
If you had a bridge, we could drive across your,
if you're gonna close the road, you might as well.
Three minutes are bridge right across there.
Mr. Vander. Lin, you're three minutes are up.
What? You're three minutes are up.
Well, you didn't stop.
No one talking for five minutes. Last, uh, counsel,
Mr. Vander. Len, and your three
minutes are up. You
Broke all the cons, rules of This.
You're three minutes are up. Mr. Vander, Len.
And please have a seat. You let
People walk. Mr. Vander
Filled out a
Sheet, Mr. Vander, and please
have a seat.
You lost control of this concept. I'm gonna have
to ask the police to also come and have you have a seat.
I'll, and, or you're not going to be welcome here
as well, along with Mr. Bell. You
Cannot kick me out of this meeting.
Please have a seat. I
Will leave, but you cannot kick me
Out of this meeting. Please have a seat. Your
time is up.
You've lost control of
This conference. Next is
M to Dear Show.
Good evening council members, peace to be with you.
Um, my name is Mon.
I'm here to basically follow up on some items I brought up
during the last council meeting.
Um, ideally I'd rather just kind of, if at the very least,
open up a line of communication on some of these requests.
Uh, the first one was regarding the, uh, process
of providing information to residents, uh,
when they're given a warning that they're
Property is at risk of being demolished, um,
in providing them information so
that they can take proper measures, uh,
and find proper assistance when needed, where needed, uh,
wherever possible, however possible.
Uh, be it, you know, city, state,
or federal level assistance.
Um, I do have access to some of, uh, I guess source
of information, like just, I guess personal knowledge, uh,
due to, uh, working
with my mother on properties from within Warren, myself.
So, uh, I would like to kind of extend that grace towards
the residents that are having trouble keeping up again
with their own property management and maintenance.
Uh, second, uh, just kind of following up with
that first point is if in any case, uh, residents are unable
to kind of follow through with, uh, recommended measures,
procedures, and, uh, follow up through,
I guess the available resources that are available,
that the, if there can be a process set up for the city to
essentially help with that cost
and of course a process as a whole.
Um, And the third item was again,
regarding the property.
With my mother's attempt to appeal
for her license renewal violation, that she was Grant, uh,
that was in place upon her
after she had already paid
for her license renewal fee, plus the late fee.
Uh, she had GI been, she had been given a violation, uh,
for about $300.
She was unable to appeal for that.
And the, her request to appeal, uh,
res was result resulted in a response that she would have
to pay another $300 in order to appeal for
that violation itself,
even though she had already paid for her license renewal.
Um, yeah, if, again, for the prior two, um,
all I'm really asking for is like a line of communication
to kind of follow up on these.
Um, and if possible, just maybe even collaborate on setting
up procedures, protocols, you know, anything
of the sort. Uh, yeah. Thank you.
Uh, I have a question. The license that you're speaking
of, your mother resident of Warren, that's a current,
It's a rental, uh, with a rental license, uh, renewal. Is
It a current issue?
Uh, I believe she had already paid for.
Uh, I, I'm not sure if she might have already paid
for the violation or I do have to check in with her.
If you provide your phone number to MS Camp,
uh, we can follow up on that.
Okay. Uh, and then the additional items are, uh,
geared towards the administration and the mayor's office.
So I can connect you with the mayor's
office, uh, with, if Ms.
Camp, if you give her your phone number and email.
Sure thing. Thank you. Mm-Hmm.
Next is Wesley Arnold.
Sorry, I'm over.
Go ahead. Thank you. Uh, Wesley Arnold, uh,
81 year resident of Warren.
I've known as the old historian.
I'm the guy that gave the, uh, people counsel
A DVD with 21,000 pictures
and passed 'em out to the audience last week.
That, that's available to anyone who wants one online at,
uh, Warren history.info.
Warren history.info. That's not why I was here.
Uh, I'm here short and quick to speak.
Uh, a couple points about homelessness.
Uh, I've, I'm a long time social worker also in, uh, Warren.
And we do currently have
Perhaps almost the worst homeless
situation than we've had in many years.
And, uh, it does not seem
to be getting better at the moment.
Uh, this is a serious situation.
We have hundreds of
homeless in the area.
And folks, just so you, just so everybody knows,
it's not just people that are out of work.
It's people, uh, that have mental illness,
that people can't find a job that people that
lost their home because the landlords raised the rent
and they weren't making enough money.
But folks, it's also homeless families, women with children,
young children,
and we have many, many homeless,
and they need a place to go temporarily.
Fine. Now, there was some talk about Owen Jacks.
I haven't seen any action yet on
that from the mayor's office.
Uh, I'd like to ask them to get on it
because there's people that need help and,
and you know, we need your help.
But my main point tonight is
that this homeless situation isn't just a real simple thing.
It's complex. People need help
and they need social work help.
They need someone to connect them with resources,
financial resources, job resources,
housing resources, things like that.
So, uh, the city council
and the mayor really need to address this problem
because we have people that need help.
And it's not just them.
They go out and I had a guy sleeping in my backyard.
We have people in the libraries as we see.
And where do they go at night?
You know, they go into residence backyards, residence
properties, many other places that they can find.
Mr. Arnold, your time is up.
Did you say up, or was it three minutes?
No, you're up. Is up. Your,
you've had three minutes. Okay. Thank,
Thank you very, very much.
Please address this homeless situation. Thank you.
Thank you. You,
Uh, entertain a motion or next item.
Um, next item is adjourn.
No council comments, Madam Chair. Mm-Hmm.
Um, there was, there was a gentleman that, um,
has some issues and, um,
he would like me to speak about them.
Sure. Um, uh, it's, it's dealing with, um,
motor City Bar, motor City Sports Bra on Eight Mile.
And, um, the complaint is loud.
Music from 10 to 2:30 AM on Friday
and Saturday nights, the amount of people showing up
between 10 and 2:00 AM they're parking on Elsa and Albany
and essentially tailgating on both streets.
Not even going in the bar.
They're causing major disturbances, noise overcrowding,
hanging out in the street, being loud and obnoxious.
They're parking in front of residential homes.
There's drag racing up and down Elza
and Albany Street between 10
and 2:00 AM as well as cars revving their engines in the,
uh, parking lot of the bar.
Uh, the amount of trash and liquor bottles being thrown out
on our properties for us to clean up in the following days.
Um, there are arguments in the bar, parking lot fights,
gunshots times three,
and there was a stray bullet that went in, um,
this gentleman's home.
Um, he's got pictures of all kinds of things.
Um, you know, liquor bottles, trash,
um, looks terrible.
Um, and there is, you know,
loitering and, you know, his, his,
he offers us possible solutions
of no parking steins installed, you know, along the street.
Um, security from the, um,
establishment people shouldn't be allowed to tailgate
or shut the bar down, which is kind of what I would think.
Uh, we did it before with Aden Hall
because it became a problem that was on Eight Mile.
Um, and, um, the, oh, oh,
and there's a Clements report of all the runs.
They've gone to this bar, this All these places.
So I think that, um, uh, we should send this,
I don't know if we send it to the administration
and see if they'll take action to, um, you know,
maybe they can amp up police, maybe they can put no parking.
The problem is you put no parking
and then the residents can't park.
So that creates a problem for the residents too.
Um, but maybe you can put hours,
or you have to have, maybe you have to per permit.
Maybe you have to be a resident to, you know,
I don't know if we do that here.
Do we do permit permitted parking? Police officers?
That's My, we did in Roseville by the police.
He got a police report.
Well, a lot of them. Oh, yeah.
So I, I think we should start there.
Um, see if we can do some things right off the bat
to maybe clean that up.
Maybe, I don't know if we can do something with the parking,
have upped police patrols, um, in that area, if not,
take action to shut 'em down as a nuisance.
Um, so that's what I would, you know, we can do that.
Um, I'll give that to Mary and she can make a copy.
And, um, former counsel, um,
and Billy Barnwell is in the hospital.
Um, he is the father-in-law of our treasurer, Lori Barnwell,
father of Bill Barnwell, former, uh,
senior housing commissioner and, uh, lawyer extraordinaire.
Um, and we would, uh, send our best wishes to him
and hoping, uh, for a speedy recovery
I need. Yes.
Um, so I read this as council response to audience,
and I was thinking of that as audience participation.
Is this also a time when council can bring up matters
that the council might want to, uh, deal with in the future
that they've heard from their constituents?
That would be best. I'm sure you could.
Uh, it's your, it's our time.
Uh, but that would be best to send a request
for the agenda item for Ms. Moore to put on
for discussion similar to how Mr.
Lafferty and Ms. Moore put items on the agenda,
uh, today. Okay.
Well, Ms. Moore was just, um, bringing up an item
that wasn't, I don't think in, in response
to the audience. Um,
That the gentleman is in the audience.
Oh. And he approached me
and asked, he wasn't comfortable coming to the,
not everybody is Oh, oh.
He just asked me if I would relay his concerns.
Oh, that's really nice. Thank you for straightening,
straightening out that, because I was just,
I wasn't sure whether we in a different body that I was on,
the members all had a chance to, um,
say something at the end of, of the meeting,
whatever they felt like saying, um, the
Rule. Mm-Hmm. Go ahead.
The rule was put into place.
We've seen in other communities where,
um, you know, there's audience.
So it's a chance for council to respond to
what was said at audience right here.
Right. You know, sometimes people might get up, they might
lie and exaggerate about you,
and you, this is your opportunity
to set the record straight.
Or they might say something nice
and you wanna respond uhhuh,
or you may want to address a concern, like, you know,
if there was a, a neighborhood issue to say, Hey, you know,
you brought that up, we're gonna make a motion
to send it over to the administration.
It's, it's a response to audience.
Because generally the rule is you don't interact
with audience when they're speaking.
Right? Correct. They have their three
minutes and then when they're done, they're done.
Right. And otherwise it would be this back and forth. Right.
And it wouldn't, you know, it would be just chaotic.
So this is a, a chance to respond to
what was just said tonight.
Okay. And so I think you just used this as an opportunity
to speak for somebody who didn't want to publicly.
And I probably violated it when I said,
best wishes to go garden, blah,
Blah. Yeah.
Alright. That's the, okay. No, thanks very much.
Um, I'm willing to consider, uh, the idea
of adjourning. May I make a motion,
Madam President? Mr.
Lty? Mr. Lty, and then I'll come back to you.
Just wanted to help clear up, uh, another misconception
that was, uh, illustrated tonight
by an audience member relative to the ARPA funds.
And the previous council did hold sessions with the public.
We captured, uh, a number of great suggestions as to what
to do with the ARPA funds that the city received post covid.
And we also hired a reputable firm called Guidehouse
to provide us, uh, knowledge base
and an, uh, analysis as to
how those funds could be spent legally
and within federal regulation.
As when you receive federal money, it comes with rules
and you have to spend it a a certain way.
Now, one of the tactics of the previous administration were
to send items to this council,
or to send budgetary items that appear
in this book, the budget.
And it is the responsibility of this council to make sure
that those items that go into this book are sound,
have all of the necessary backup material.
They have proposals, they have a, an estimated budget,
and they fit within the guidelines set forth
by the federal government.
The items as described tonight that the former council,
or as, uh, was pointed out, certain members
cut the ARPA funds from the budget.
While the, the cuts are very accurate,
the statement that ARPA funds were indeed cut from the
budget is accurate.
They were not removed simply
because we didn't want to spend the ARPA money.
Uh, we're very well aware of the schedule
that the ARPA money has to be spent by.
And so it is up to the mayor's administration to,
uh, propose the projects
and send those over to the city council as part
of the budget process that we are going
to be entertaining here very shortly.
That is going to be the major focus for the next few months.
Uh, I expect the city controller
and the, uh, relative department heads that are going
to be involved in that process to, uh,
bring their proposals forward.
I am, uh, certain that the new mayor will follow those rules
and propose only sound projects to this council so
that we don't have to go through
that arduous process once again.
And so, in our cooperation with the administration, uh,
in, uh, working in harmony, uh, I expect that
to be a very mutual beneficial, uh,
beneficial, uh, conversation.
One where we're going to come to, uh, an agreement
and, uh, work through any differences in a,
uh, diplomatic way.
So, uh, let the facts speak for themselves.
And it doesn't matter how loud
you state them at the microphone, when you illustrate a lie
and you try to perpetuate it, it does not matter.
The volume that you say it at,
a lie is still a lie. So, thank you
Madam Chair. Thank
you, Mr. Newnan.
Um, it was interesting when I was speaking
to the controller that he said at this point,
the remaining balance
of ARPA funds can be spent any way the city wants to.
Um, and I think he was suggesting
that it mainly be spent on, uh, safety officer,
um, salaries, which it seemed like there are a lot
of different ways that it could be spent.
But, um, I don't know.
It was, uh, it was in a,
you're you're talking about ARPA funds
and, um, I certainly, I know that they expire
at a certain point at the end, at the end of this year.
Right. 25.
2025. And if we wanted
to put this on the agenda to discuss it, we could.
Oh, sure. Okay. I'm sorry. It's
Okay. True.
I'm out of line there. It's okay.
Pardon me. We're all learning. Interesting.
Uh, thing about ARPA though, any additional
council comments?
Okay. Then I will now entertain a motion to adjourn. Mr.
Newan. So moved. Support. All in favor? Aye. Aye.
Any post motion carries. Were adjourned.